President Donald Trump’s attorney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the West Wing of the White House on July 1, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
The New York State Bar Association said on Monday that it was initiating an investigation into the revocation of membership of Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, because of his violent rhetoric at a rally by the president before the riot on Capitol Hill last week. like other actions.
The group of lawyers said in a statement that the blame for the unrest of thousands of supporters of the president “is first and foremost” Trump, who continued to make false claims about his defeat for President-elect Joe Biden.
“But the president did not act alone,” noted the bar.
“Hours before the furious crowd invaded Capitol walls, Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, addressed a crowd of thousands in the White House, reiterating baseless allegations of widespread electoral fraud in the presidential election and the second rounds of the Georgia Senate. . “
At the rally near the White House, just before the riot, Giuliani said: “If we are wrong, we will be fools, but if we are right, many of them will go to jail.”
“We will do the trial in combat,” said Giuliani, a former New York mayor, a former Manhattan attorney and a former Justice Department official.
The Bar Association noted that its statute states that “no person who defends the overthrow of the United States government, or any state, territory or possession of it, or any political subdivision therein, by force or other illegal means, will be a member of the Association. “
And the group said, “Giuliani’s words were clearly intended to encourage Trump supporters dissatisfied with the election result to resolve the problem on their own.”
“His subsequent attack on the Capitol was nothing short of an attempted coup, with the aim of preventing the peaceful transition of power,” said the group, whose membership is voluntary.
Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the group’s statement, which he called his investigation “historic”. The association said it did not take a decision lightly.
If the group of lawyers expels him from his list of members, Giuliani will still be able to practice law in his home state of New York. The dismissal of a lawyer requires action by the Appeals Division’s complaints committee of the state judicial system.
The Bar Association said it has received hundreds of complaints about Giuliani in recent months “and his unfounded efforts on behalf of President Trump to cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and, after the votes were cast, to nullify his legitimate results . “
None of these efforts, which included lawsuits, have succeeded in invalidating a single vote by Biden in an allegation of fraud.
The group said the investigation into Giuliani’s expulsion was based on previous complaints and his statement shortly before the attack on the Capitol.
“We cannot stand still and allow those who intend to break the structure of our democracy to be left out of control,” said the association.
“Mr. Giuliani will receive due process and will have the opportunity – if he so wishes – to explain and defend his words and actions,” said the group.
Giuliani could be called on to defend Trump if he is impeached because of the unrest, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer killed by supporters of the president.
The riot interrupted Congressional confirmation of Biden’s election as the next president.