Fed up federal judge finally drops the HAMMER on Giuliani
What this covers
Legal Breakdown episode 408: @GlennKirschner2 discusses a federal judge dropping the hammer on Rudy Giuliani.
For more from Brian Tyler Cohen: Order my #1 NYT bestselling book: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/shameless YouTube (español): https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/briantylercohen Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/36UvEHs Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0066rKCBIycIMI4os6Ec5V Twitter: https://twitter.com/briantylercohen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briantylercohen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantylercohen TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briantylercohen Newsletter: https://plus.briantylercohen.com
Source description (no synthesized summary yet).
Glenn Kirschner argues that Rudy Giuliani is systematically hiding assets to evade a $146 million judgment owed to Georgia election workers, risking contempt of court and potential jail time, while the judiciary has been too lenient in enforcing compliance with court orders.
- Giuliani moved valuable assets (Joe DiMaggio jersey) from his apartment between documented dates, contradicting his claims of innocence
- Judge Lewis Liman has warned contempt charges and potential incarceration if Giuliani doesn't comply with asset turnover orders
- Presidential pardons cannot apply to civil suits, so Trump cannot intervene to help Giuliani escape the judgment
This asset isn't compiled yet
You're seeing its claims, ranked. Compile it to build the argument threads, weight them, and check each claim against your library — the full view.
Rudy Giuliani has been hiding and moving his assets to evade the court order, including removing a valuable signed Joe DiMaggio jersey from his New York apartment between the time it was documented hanging on his wall and October 31st when Moss and Freeman's representatives entered to collect assets
“when sheam mamos and Ruby Freeman and their designated Representatives went into Rudy giuliani's New York apartment to um take his assets as the judge has had ordered them to to do um they found that a very expensive signed Joe dagio Jersey that had been hanging on Rudy's wall in his high-end apartment in New York not weeks ago when doc let guess let me guess suddenly vanished”
Rudy Giuliani claimed to the court that he didn't move anything from his apartment and called Moss and Freeman liars, despite documentary evidence that a valuable signed jersey disappeared from his wall
“Rudy not only tells the court Brian get ready for it I don't know where my stuff is he also called them liars and he said I didn't move anything around I didn't take anything out of my apartment and yet there's evidence in court that this jersey was depicted hanging on his wall not weeks ago”
Judge Lewis Liman characterized Rudy Giuliani's explanations for non-compliance as 'farcical' and warned him that he will be held in contempt of court if he doesn't deliver his assets
“here is what judge Lyman said about all of Rudy giuliani's BS he said these are quote farsal explanations and I will hold you in contempt now deliver your stuff to these two women who won that money judgment against you”
Rudy Giuliani was ordered by federal judge Lewis Liman to turn over his assets to Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, who won a $146 million judgment against him for defamation
“a jury awarded them $146 million in Damages so now they're in the process of collecting and the judge presiding over the case is Lewis Lyman he has told Rudy Giuliani in no uncertain terms deliver your property your assets to these two women”
Presidential pardons do not apply to civil suits; they only apply to federal criminal prosecutions and not to state criminal prosecutions, so Trump cannot pardon Giuliani to prevent him from complying with the Moss/Freeman judgment
“no pardons do not work in civil suits when one party sues another par presidential pardons don't apply to those kind of legal proceedings okay presidential pardons only apply to when somebody is uh criminally prosecuted in federal court not in state court but in federal court so no civil suits um pardons don't work”
Rudy Giuliani claimed he couldn't access a storage facility on Long Island that may contain some of his assets, offering this as an explanation for his inability to comply with the asset turnover order
“here is another explanation Rudy Giuliani gives he said well I think some of it might be in a storage facility in Long Island but I don't have access to that storage facility”
Russia coordinated bomb threats to Democratic districts during the 2024 election to disrupt voting, as reported by the Department of Justice and FBI
“according to the reporting and according to what the Department of Justice and the FBI told us Russia called in bomb threats to deeply blue districts and disrupted this election”
Civil contempt of court operates on a purge mechanism where a judge gives the contemnor the keys to their own cell—compliance with the order releases them from jail, creating a strong incentive to obey
“what the judge would tell Rudy Giuliani is listen I'm not only putting you in a jail cell I am figuratively giving you the keys to the cell and all you have to do is comply with my order and stop hiding your stuff and you can walk out of that jail cell you need to purge the contempt”
Contempt of court can result in monetary fines, but in Giuliani's case where he cannot pay monetary fines, the primary available remedy is incarceration until he complies with the court order
“what does contempt look like for somebody like Rudy Giuliani who can't pay monetary fines which is one penalty available when you're held in contempt a judge could impose a fine I think really the only thing the judge can do is order him jailed confined until he purges the contempt”
Grand jury witnesses who refuse to testify without a valid legal privilege (such as attorney-client, executive, spousal, or doctor-patient privilege) can be held in contempt and jailed until they purge the contempt by testifying
“if I have a witness who is refusing to testify before the grand jury after having been given a valid grand jury subpoena to testify and they have no legal basis like you know attorney client privilege or executive privilege or spousal privil or doctor patient privilege they have no legitimate legal privilege to assert they're just like I'm not telling you anything well we then seek to have the judge hold them in contempt jail them until they Purge the contempt”
The Moss/Freeman defamation judgment against Giuliani resulted from his defaming them 'with zero evidence'
“that he sacrificed when he decided to defame these two Georgia election workers with zero evidence”
If Trump were to use his military authority against a federal judge enforcing law against Giuliani, this would represent a dramatic escalation toward dictatorship rather than merely continuing incremental steps toward authoritarian governance
“might Donald Trump want to use them against a federal judge that is doing his man Rudy wrong gosh I hope not Brian because that will be one giant leap in the direction of a dictatorship whereas at least we have only been taking incremental steps on the road to dictatorship”
Rudy Giuliani's $146 million judgment resulted from defaming Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman over 2020 election fraud that Giuliani was apparently so convinced about that he repeated the claims repeatedly, yet this fraud did not materialize when Democrats were actually in power during the 2024 election
“this is all predicated on Giuliani defaming these two Georgia election workers about fraud that he was that he was apparently so certain about that he repeated it over and over and it cost him basically everything and yet isn't it interesting that while Democrats were able to so deafly commit fraud that that deprived Donald Trump of a 2020 win that in the immediate next election where Democrats were actually in office and so presumably they would have even more of an ability to commit this outrageous fraud suddenly there was no fraud in this election”
Russia is aligned with Donald Trump, so if Democrats or Trump opponents were making bomb threats related to the 2024 election, Trump would likely contest the results loudly rather than accepting them quietly
“if the Sho were on the other foot and you know somebody who was aligned with vice president Harris was calling in bomb threats because we all know that Russia and Putin are aligned with Donald Trump right do you really think Donald Trump would have said all good I'm not going to kick up any dust or complain or contest the elections results”
The judicial system has been too lenient with Rudy Giuliani by continuing to give him leeway and indulging his contemptuous behavior that violates federal court orders, when it should have held him accountable earlier
“the judicial system continues to give him leeway way and indulge all of his contemptuous Behavior behavior that is violating federal court orders and at some point you know you have to tell Rudy Giuliani it's time to pay the piper I'm holding you in contempt”
Donald Trump has publicly stated he will use the military to punish 'the enemy from within,' which he has defined as Democrats and his political opponents, potentially including federal judges enforcing laws against Trump's associates
“Donald Trump has said he will use the military to punish the enemies from within he has defined those enemies as the Democrats his political opponents might a federal judge who is insisting that one of his Donald Trump's criminal Associates Rudy Giuliani um give over his property”
The rules governing election interference do not apply equally to both sides, with selective enforcement or complaint depending on whether the alleged interference benefits or harms different political actors
“so yeah it it seems like you know the rules don't apply equally to both sides when it comes to election interference”
Rudy Giuliani's expensive possessions (like the signed Joe DiMaggio jersey) are 'measly' in comparison to the consequences of his defamation of Moss and Freeman
“if he actually decides to hand it over so we will again stay on top of all this uh for those watching right now if you want to stay on top of everything and follow our work and support us the best way to do that is to subscribe to our channels the links are right here on this screen I'm Brian terer Cohen and I'm Glenn kersner you're watching the legal breakdown”