Rudy Giuliani and others who falsely accused two Black election workers of voter fraud are facing more fallout as they deal with the legal repercussions of their alleged smear campaigns.
Giuliani filed for bankruptcy after a court ordered him to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit, and a right-wing website has recently followed suit. Now, the former lawyer for Donald Trump claims that his accountant has quit, leaving him to complete financial records needed for the court on his own.
His attorney has asked the court to give him some grace, according to a report by Law & Crime.
“Unfortunately, the Debtor originally had an accountant who was helping, however, he had a change of heart and indicated that he no longer wished to help prepare the monthly operating reports,” Giuliani’s attorney, Heath Berger, states in court documents posted by the outlet. “The Debtor advised that he has reached out to a number of accounting firms and CPA’s seeking their help, however, no one seems interested in taking the assignment.”
Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, was part of Trump’s legal team, which filed several lawsuits in various states claiming widespread election fraud during the 2020 election.
The defamation lawsuit is centered around Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who were inaccurately accused by Giuliani and others of participating in voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Giuliani’s bankruptcy filing indicates that he is grappling with substantial debt, with claims reportedly amounting to as much as $500 million, according to several reports.
Giuliani promptly declared bankruptcy following the verdict in the defamation case. That permitted him to appeal the decision in February, provided that pre-approved donors covered any additional legal costs. The bankruptcy filing exempts him from the obligation to post a bond equivalent to the judgment amount for the appeal.
A recent court document disclosed that two third-party legal defense funds are compensating his bankruptcy attorney. Giuliani’s lawyers asserted he has not made contributions to either fund, one of which has received hundreds of donations from his supporters after claiming his net income is only $2,308 per month.
Despite a failed attempt to dismiss the penalty, Giuliani plans to continue to fight against it. Last month, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected a motion by Giuliani to dismiss the verdict that ordered him to pay the two Georgia election workers.
The news about Giuliani’s troubles with his accountant was revealed in a court response to a group of Giuliani’s creditors who filed a motion opposing his request to delay the bankruptcy proceedings so that he could appeal the $148 million verdict in the defamation case.
The disbarred attorney was reportedly late with his financial reports for February and March.
Attorneys for Freeman and Moss have also filed a motion asking the court to deny Giuliani’s request for additional time in the bankruptcy case. They argue that he will continue to use the case’s status to decide whether he can appeal the defamation verdict.
Berger’s admission that his client is having difficulty finding an accountant firm willing to work on the case has opened Giuliani to public criticism, with many mocking him on social media.
“Rudy does not need an accountant to do a simple financial statement every month as to assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. His wrecked financial situation is not complicated. He’s making excuses and trying to delay financial accountability to his victim creditors,” one X user wrote.
“‘Sorry Rudy. We’d love to help, but all our calculator batteries are dead. Damnedest thing, really. Probably a sign of the apocalypse,'” another X user chimed in.
Meanwhile, TGP Communications, the parent company of The Gateway Pundit, filed for bankruptcy in Florida late last month, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The move is an apparent effort to evade a 2021 defamation lawsuit filed by Freeman and Moss after the website falsely accused the Fulton County election workers of counting “suitcases” filled with fraudulent ballots during the 2020 presidential election, which resulted in Joe Biden defeating Trump. The allegations closely mirror those in Giuliani’s defamation case.
The workers filed the defamation lawsuit against TGP Communications in St. Louis, where the founder resides, seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, AJC reported.
Jim Hoft, the founder of The Gateway Pundit, stated on the website that the bankruptcy filing “does not constitute an acknowledgment of guilt or liability.” He attributed the situation to “attacks from progressive liberal legal warfare against our media outlet.”
According to the company’s bankruptcy filing, it has projected assets ranging from $500,000 to $1 million and liabilities between $100,000 and $500,000, as reported by the AJC.
In the 70-page lawsuit, the plaintiffs outlined scenarios where the publication is accused of publishing articles on its website and social media containing false and defamatory claims about Moss and Freeman. The election workers were allegedly subjected to months of death threats and racial harassment, leading Freeman to eventually leave her residence.
A study on mainstream and social media coverage during the 2016 presidential election conducted by Harvard University “showed that the website was one of the most popular media sources on the right,” the lawsuit states.
