Rudy Giuliani's Court Outlash Draws Rebuke from Judge

Facts

• Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani drew rebuke from US federal Judge Lewis Liman on Tuesday during a hearing regarding his Georgia election case. During the hearing, he interrupted to say how, following earlier rulings, he was unable to pay his bills.^[1]
• Giuliani, 80, has been ordered to surrender a vintage Mercedes Benz convertible, 18 watches, a diamond ring, and the contents of several bank accounts to two Georgia election workers he was found to have defamed, after alleging they cheated the 2020 US election.^[2][3]
• By Tuesday's federal proceedings in Manhattan, Giuliani was no longer able to hold his restraint and lashed out at Judge Liman, telling him: 'Every implication you make is against me.'^[4]
• After Liman questioned why he had yet to hand over the title for the Mercedez Benz, Giuliani said: 'Your implication that I have been not diligent about this is totally incorrect,' adding, 'I don't have a car, I don't have a credit card, I don't have cash. I can't pay my bills.'^[4][5]
• Halting Giuliani to a close, Liman called back to an earlier threat to charge him with contempt of court, stating: 'I permitted Mr. Giuliani to speak. Next time, I will not permit him to speak and the court will have to take action.'^[4]
• Giuliani, who's been ordered to pay the women a combined $148M, has told reporters that he was the subject of a 'political vendetta,' but said he was confident about retrieving his items upon appeal.^[2]

Sources: ^[1]Reuters, ^[2]New York Post, ^[3]NBC, ^[4]Politico and ^[5]Sky News.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Guardian and The New Republic. After falsely accusing two women of election fraud to try and help Trump steal an election, Giuliani has immaturely chosen to lash out at the court instead of owning up to his actions. This is an embarrassing fall from grace for the former New York City Mayor — and one that will haunt his legacy from here on out.
• Right narrative, as provided by PJ Media and New York Post. The $148M defamation judgment is overkill by itself, but the biased NYC court system has also taken his legal license away. While his actions do warrant some kind of consequence, there is absolutely no need to treat a beloved lawyer and former mayor this way. If the courts truly wished to promote fairness and justice, they would show respect for both parties in this case.