D.C. ethics board recommends Rudy Giuliani be disbarred

The
D.C.
Bar’s
Board
on
Professional
Responsibility
on
Friday
recommended
that
Rudy
Giuliani
be
barred
from
practicing
law
in
the
nation’s
capital.

In
its
report,
the
board
cited
Giuliani’s
work
in
Pennsylvania
following
the
2020
presidential
election
in
which
he
sought
to
have
the
state’s
election
results
thrown
out
in
favor
of
his
former
client
Donald
Trump.

“The
Board
agrees
with
the
Hearing
Committee
that
Disciplinary
Counsel
proved
by
clear
and
convincing
evidence
that
Respondent
violated
Pennsylvania
Rules
of
Professional
Conduct,”
the
report
says.
“With
respect
to
sanction,
we
agree
with
the
Hearing
Committee
that
Respondent
should
be
disbarred.”

This
report follows
one
from
last
year in
which
a
disciplinary
board
for
the
D.C.
Bar
also
recommended
disbarment
for
Giuliani.
Now,
the
case
heads
to
the
D.C.
Court
of
Appeals,
which
will
decide
whether
Giuliani,
who
formerly
served
as
the
mayor
of
New
York
City,
will
be
disbarred.

In
a
statement
provided
to
NBC
News,
Ted
Goodman,
a
spokesperson
for
Giuliani,
blamed
the
findings
in
the
report
on
“partisan
Democrats”
and
said
the
decision
would
discourage
attorneys
from
taking
on
Trump
as
a
client.

“This
recommendation
comes
as
no
surprise
as
partisan
Democrats
continue
to
destroy
the
credibility
of
the
American
justice
system
all
in
an
effort
to
beat
President
Trump
and
to
hold
onto
power,”
Goodman
said.

“Taking
away
the
mayor’s
law
license
is
meant
to
discourage
lawyers
from
representing
clients
like
President
Donald
Trump
or
anyone
else
who
is
willing
to
take
on
the
prevailing
political
establishment,”
he
added.

Goodman
also
called
“on
rank-and-file
members
of
the
D.C.
Bar
Association
to
speak
out
against
this
irresponsible
and
anti-American
recommendation
—
whether
you
agree
with
the
mayor’s
politics
or
not.”

Giuliani
has
already
had
his
law
license suspended
in
New
York,
where
a
New
York
court
ruled
that
he
made
“demonstrably
false
and
misleading
statements”
following
the
2020
presidential
election.

Another
former
attorney
for
Trump,
Jenna
Ellis,
is barred
from
practicing
law
in
Colorado for
three
years
following
the
work
she
did
for
Trump
after
the
last
election.