Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty to 9 counts of serious charges on Tuesday, May 21. The charges allege that he attempted to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in Arizona.
Alongside former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward, 10 other individuals also pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, forgery, and fraud related to the case.
Giuliani appeared remotely for his arraignment in a Phoenix courtroom, with the trial for him and Ward scheduled for October 17, about three weeks before the U.S. presidential election.
The indictment states that Giuliani spread false allegations of election fraud in Arizona after the 2020 election, and hosted a rally in downtown Phoenix claiming officials did not work to ensure the accuracy of the presidential election results.
The indictment accuses Giuliani of pressuring officials in Maricopa county and state legislators to change the election results in Arizona, and encouraging Republican electors in the state to vote for Trump in mid-December 2020.
During the remote appearance, Giuliani mentioned he did not have a lawyer, and believed he had the ability to represent himself.
Giuliani stated he received the subpoena but hadn’t received a copy of the indictment. Nevertheless, he believed he was familiar with the charges by reviewing the related information.
In the past weeks, the Arizona prosecutors had been unable to serve the indictment notice on Giuliani. It wasn’t until last Friday, during his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida, that officials from the Arizona prosecutor’s office suddenly showed up to serve him with the indictment notice.
Guests revealed that Giuliani seemed unfazed at the time, but some guests expressed anger towards the officials, questioning if the prosecutors deliberately tried to embarrass or intimidate Giuliani.
This Tuesday, the prosecution, outlining the difficulties they faced, requested Giuliani to post a $10,000 cash bond in court.
Prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman accused Giuliani of “unwillingness to comply with Arizona’s legal procedures.” The judge ultimately ruled that Giuliani must pay the $10,000 bond and register in Arizona within the next 30 days.
Giuliani claimed he had no intent to evade Arizona authorities. He mentioned that due to continuous death threats and lack of employing security personnel, strict measures were in place for anyone visiting his residence.
He also stated that the indictment was politically motivated.
“I do believe this indictment has thoroughly embarrassed the U.S. legal system,” Giuliani said.
Before receiving the indictment notice, Giuliani discussed the Arizona case on a podcast.
He told his viewers that investigators in Arizona claimed they couldn’t find him, which he found absurd. He said, “This is the perfect evidence that they are so incompetent that they couldn’t find me, hence couldn’t count votes correctly.”
After the arraignment on Tuesday, Giuliani’s spokesperson Ted Goodman stated that the former New York City mayor looks forward to proving his innocence.
Goodman claimed that these charges are essentially their attempt to interfere with the 2024 election and take down Trump.
Last week, Trump’s former legal advisor John Eastman was summoned and became the first defendant in this case, also pleading not guilty to the charges.
In the Arizona case, Trump has not been charged but referred to as an “unindicted co-conspirator.”
State Senator Jake Hoffman, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump lawyer Boris Epshteyn, and another Republican, James Lamon, who stated that Trump won the state’s election, are set to have their arraignments on June 6.