Rudy Giuliani’s NY law license pulled over ‘demonstrably false’ 2020 election claims

A Manhattan appeals court stripped Rudy Giuliani of his license to practice law in New York on Thursday, ruling that he has violated his professional oath by peddling “demonstrably false and misleading” claims about the 2020 election on behalf of his most high-profile client, former President Donald Trump.

The order, issued by a five-judge panel on the State Supreme Court’s appellate division, found there’s “uncontroverted evidence” that Giuliani lied when he told courts, lawmakers and the public that President Joe Biden’s election was facilitated by widespread Democratic voter fraud.

The judges also drew a damning parallel to Jan. 6, saying Giuliani’s election lies “directly inflamed the tensions” that paved the way for the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“The seriousness of respondent’s uncontroverted misconduct cannot be overstated. This country is being torn apart by continued attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and of our current president, Joseph R. Biden,” the judges wrote.

The beleaguered former New York mayor — whose Manhattan law office was raided by the FBI in April as part of a criminal investigation — can fight his suspension by requesting a hearing within 20 days.

However, the judges noted that Giuliani’s offenses are “incredibly serious” and that he will likely face “substantial permanent sanctions.”

Giuliani, 77, did not return a request for comment, and neither did his attorney.

But the former mayor’s son, Andrew Giuliani, came to his defense and claimed the suspension was handed down by “leftist judges.”

“This is just unbelievable how politicized this has become. I am infuriated by all of this,” the younger Giuliani, who’s running as a Republican in next year’s gubernatorial race, said in a video posted on Twitter. “I stand by my father. He did everything, ultimately, by the book.”

The elder Giuliani, who has held a New York law license since 1969, was the most visible and vocal mouthpiece for Trump’s failed campaign to overturn Biden’s election victory.

For weeks after the election was called, the ex-mayor appeared in courts and statehouses across the country pushing the thoroughly debunked claim that the election was rigged against Trump.

Despite a total lack of evidence, Giuliani and Trump maintain to this day that the election was stolen.

The judges said Giuliani’s perpetuation of falsehoods was especially troubling.

“One only has to look at the ongoing present public discord over the 2020 election, which erupted into violence, insurrection and death on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, to understand the extent of the damage that can be done when the public is misled by false information,” they wrote.

In their decision, the judges also listed off dozens of examples of Giuliani’s misconduct.

One of the most glaring violations, the judges wrote, was Giuliani’s baseless contention before a Pennsylvania federal court that thousands of “dead” people in Philadelphia cast illegal votes for Biden.

“The public records submitted on this motion unequivocally show that respondent’s statement is false,” the judges wrote.

The suspension of Giuliani’s law license is the latest stain on his long career.

Decades ago, Giuliani served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and gained a reputation as a hard-charging mob-buster who went on to be elected in 1993 as the city’s first Republican mayor in nearly two decades.

But since becoming Trump’s personal attorney, Giuliani’s reputation has deteriorated.

In addition to being barred from practicing law, he remains under federal investigation over allegations that he violated foreign lobbying laws while helping Trump dig for political dirt on Biden’s family in Ukraine in 2019. That investigation is being conducted by the U.S. attorney in downtown Manhattan, the very same prosecutorial entity Giuliani led in the 1980s.