Rudy Giuliani tells judge he can’t pay his bills in courtroom outburst | Rudy Giuliani

Former New York mayor and lawyer for Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani burst out in court Tuesday, telling a judge, “I can’t pay my bills!”

Sketches by courtroom artists, who create images for the media to use when cameras are not allowed in court, such as federal courts, showed a furious Giuliani, 80, pointing at the judge in his case, Lewis Liman.

The hearing in federal court in Manhattan involved a nearly $150 million judgment won by Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers whom Giuliani vilified while promoting Trump’s lie that election fraud in 2020 cost him his victory Joe Biden.

Liman said Giuliani had failed to comply with orders to turn over assets.

Giuliani said Tuesday: “The implications you’re making about me are wrong. I have no car, no credit cards, no cash, everything I have is tied up, they’ve put stop orders on my business accounts and I can’t pay my bills!”

Giuliani’s fall has been spectacular. After making his name as a tough prosecutor who took on organized crime, he served two terms as mayor, taking office on September 11, 2001 and widely praised for his leadership after the terrorist attacks on the United States. His 2008 presidential bid flopped, but Giuliani enjoyed a successful consulting and speaking career before allying himself with Trump when the real estate mogul entered Republican politics in 2015.

Giuliani missed out on a Cabinet appointment but became Trump’s personal lawyer — work that fueled Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019 for blackmailing Ukraine for political dirt. Giuliani then became a primary driver behind Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election—work that led to criminal charges that he pleaded not guiltythe huge libel verdict and dismissals in Washington and New York.

In New York on Tuesday, Giuliani’s lawyer told the judge that his client had turned over assets, including a Mercedes Benz sports car once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall. An attorney for Freeman and Moss said Giuliani had turned over the car but not the title to it. Lawyers for the two women have also said they have gained access to Giuliani’s $5 million. Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan, but has not secured “keys, shares or proprietary lease”.

In court, the judge told Giuliani’s attorney, “A car without a title is meaningless … your client is a competent person. He was the U.S. attorney for the district. The notion that he can’t apply for a certificate of title—”

Giuliani cut him off, saying, “I applied for it! What am I supposed to do, make it up myself? Your claim that I haven’t been diligent about it is completely wrong.”

He then launched into his rant about financial woes.

Giuliani’s lawyer asked Liman to extend the deadlines since he was only just beginning the case after previous lawyers withdrew. Liman denied the request, saying, “You can’t restart the clock by firing one attorney and hiring another. He’s already received multiple extensions and missed multiple deadlines.”

The trial is set for Jan. 16 on whether Giuliani should also give Moss and Freeman his Florida home and four New York Yankees World Series mementos. On Tuesday, Giuliani’s lawyer asked if the trial could be pushed back so his client could attend the inaugural events for Trump, who will be sworn in as president in Washington DC on January 20. Liman said no.

Outside court, Giuliani told reporters that Liman “was going to rule against me. If you were sitting in the courtroom and couldn’t figure it out, you’re stupid.” He also said the judge’s “background is serious left-leaning Democrat … about as left-wing as you get” — even while acknowledging that Liman was nominated by Trump.

Giuliani said he did not regret defaming Freeman and Moss.

“I regret the persecution I have been subjected to,” he said.