HV Congressman Applauds Giuliani Law License Suspension

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The New York state court system suspended Rudy Giuliani's license to practice law in New York on Thursday, and the state bar association expelled him.

The Appellate Division said Giuliani had repeatedly been "demonstrably false and misleading" in and out of court making false statements and promoting conspiracy theories to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential race.

"There is evidence of continuing misconduct, the underlying offense is incredibly serious, and the uncontroverted misconduct in itself will likely result in substantial permanent sanctions," the court said.

Because of the suspension, the New York State Bar Association removed Giuliani as a member.

"Nothing means more to us than the integrity of the profession and we applaud the work of the attorney disciplinary committee in safeguarding the public," New York State Bar Association President T. Andrew Brown said in a statement. "It is equally important that we recognize the ongoing legal process and Rudy Giuliani’s right to defend himself. We will await the completion of the disciplinary process before taking further action."

Speaking to reporters after the news, Giuliani doubled down on his debunked election fraud claims, Reuters reported.

On his afternoon radio show, he said the decision was a "disgrace," the Associated Press reported. Giuliani said the court's opinion was based on hearsay and "could have been written by the Democratic National Committee."

“The bar association should give me an award,” Giuliani told listeners on WABC-AM. “I defended an unpopular client. I’ve been threatened with death. I’ve had a good deal of my income taken away. I’ve lost friends over it."

Former President Donald Trump, for whom he has been doing the pro-bono work, called the suspension a politically motivated “witch hunt."

However, the actions pleased New York Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-17), who had called on the state court system to disbar Giuliani five days after insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the presidential election.

"The legal profession is one that prides itself on ethical conduct and stringent self-regulation," Jones said Thursday. "When attorneys actively and knowingly undermine the law, they risk great damage not only to the legal profession, but to our legal system as a whole. That is why I called for Rudy Giuliani to be disbarred, and why I believe that any licensed attorneys who perpetuated the Big Lie of mass voter fraud or helped to incite the violent insurrection at the Capitol must be similarly disciplined."

Jones, a freshman member of the House Judiciary Committee, had asked the attorney grievance committee to investigate Giuliani and his involvement in the violence in which five people died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Another Capitol Police officer committed suicide after it.

"The legal profession cannot tolerate sedition in its ranks if it hopes to maintain the faith of the American people. We must make an example of him," Jones said at the time.

Back in January, NYSBA officials said they had received hundreds of complaints about Giuliani "and his baseless efforts on behalf of President Trump to cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and, after the votes were cast, to overturn its legitimate results." SEE: New York State Bar Association May Drop Giuliani From Membership

Giuliani was the primary mouthpiece for Trump’s false claims of election fraud after the 2020 vote, standing at a press conference in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia on the day the race was called for Joe Biden and saying they would challenge what he claimed was a vast conspiracy by Democrats.

In his speech Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. Giuliani proposed "trial by combat" over his baseless allegations of election rigging and said he would stake his reputation on his conspiracy theory about Dominion Voting machines.

In May, Dominion sued him over the“demonstrably false” allegations and linked them to the riot. Several conservative news outlets also sued by the company have apologized publicly and retracted their reports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.