Rudy Giuliani Admits False Statements About Georgia Election Workers

Former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has admitted to making false statements regarding election workers the former president claimed had tampered with ballots in the 2020 presidential election count in Georgia.

In a court filing on Tuesday, the former mayor of New York conceded that he had made the statements and had published them to third parties, but said that such an admission would not change his argument that they were "constitutionally protected" and had not adversely affected the workers concerned.

Giuliani did not contest that "to the extent that the statements were statements of fact and otherwise actionable, such actionable factual statements were false."

The statement by the Republican lawyer came as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, who alleged that they had faced harassment after Giuliani and Trump claimed they had counted extra votes.

Rudy Giuliani is seen leaving the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on May 19. Giuliani is being sued by election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defamation. Getty Images/Alex Wong

The two were said to have removed ballots from suitcases underneath tables after the count had ended in Fulton County, Georgia.

Officials in the state debunked the claims, stating that the absentee ballots had been removed from carrier cases while counting was still ongoing, the Augusta Chronicle reported at the time.

"Giuliani's stipulation concedes what we have always known to be true—Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss honorably performed their civic duties in the 2020 presidential election in full compliance with the law," Michael J. Gottlieb, partner at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher and part of Freeman and Moss's legal team, told Newsweek. "And the allegations of election fraud he and former President Trump made against them have been false since day one."

Ted Goodman, political adviser to the former mayor, told Newsweek thatGiuliani "did not acknowledge that the statements were false but did not contest it in order to move on to the portion of the case that will permit a motion to dismiss."

"This is a legal issue, not a factual issue," he said. "Those out to smear the mayor are ignoring the fact that this stipulation is designed to get to the legal issues of the case."

Trump has continued to claim the 2020 election was tainted by fraud—allegations that have not been substantiated.

The lawsuit is one of several disputes Giuliani is embroiled in, including disbarment proceedings over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

President Joe Biden narrowly won the state of Georgia in 2020—by just 11,779 ballots out of more than 5 million cast—to earn its 16 Electoral College votes.

In Fulton County, Biden had a vote share of nearly 73 percent in a largely Democrat-leaning region.

According to CNN, Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani of making them scapegoats for the defeat, saying the lawyer's comments had put them in harm's way and caused severe emotional distress. They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

A final report by the Secretary of State for Georgia released in March stated that interviews with election workers who were present that night—including Freeman and Moss—gave consistent accounts of how absentee ballots were processed and were "consistent with the actions observed" on CCTV footage.

It also noted that two election observers who were members of the Georgia Republican Party had written affidavits that gave similar accounts to those of the election workers.

CNN reported earlier in July that Freeman and Moss' lawyer had disclosed Giuliani's team had approached them "to discuss a potential negotiated resolution," which they described as being close to agreement.

Gottlieb said on Wednesday: "While certain issues, including damages, remain to be decided by the court, our clients are pleased with this major milestone in their fight for justice, and look forward to presenting what remains of this case at trial."

Update 07/26/23, 7:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add further details.

Update 07/26/23, 9:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add comment from Ted Goodman and a new headline.

Update 07/26/23, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add comment from Michael J. Gottlieb, a lawyer for Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.