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Rudy Giuliani
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| Rudy Giuliani | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Greenberg Traurig |
| Role: | Chair, Cybersecurity, Privacy and Crisis Management Practice |
| Location: | New York, N.Y. |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | Manhattan College New York University School of Law |
Rudy Giuliani is the former mayor of New York City and a lawyer with the firm Greenberg Traurig, where he heads the cybersecurity, privacy, and crisis management practice. During the 2016 election cycle, Giuliani was a Donald Trump supporter and surrogate, and during the period of transition, Giuliani served as vice chair of the transition team. He was also reported to be a candidate for a number of cabinet appointments, including secretary of state and attorney general.
Career
Early legal career
After graduating from law school at New York University in 1968, Giuliani clerked for Judge Lloyd MacMahon in the Southern District of New York. He joined the U.S. Attorney's office in 1970, eventually becoming assistant deputy attorney general and chief of staff for Deputy Attorney General Harold Tyler. After Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976, Giuliani followed Tyler into private practice, working as a partner at Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler in New York City.[1]
Associate Attorney General and U.S. Attorney
In 1981, Giuliani returned to the attorney general's office, serving as the U.S. associate attorney general.[1]
In 1983, Giuliani became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and he gained public attention for his work bringing Mafia families to trial. In a 1985 article, The New York Times reported on Giuliani's approach to prosecuting the crime families, writing, "Giuliani's brainstorm was to go the next step: Attack the board of directors guiding all of New York's Mafia families in loan sharking, drug trafficking, labor racketeering and contract murder. Next fall in a single trial at the Federal courthouse in Manhattan, Giuliani will prosecute the purported heads of the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo and Bonanno families."[2] Giuliani held the position as U.S. Attorney until resigning in 1989 to run for mayor of New York City.
Mayor of New York City
After his unsuccessful run for mayor in 1989, Giuliani was elected mayor of New York City twice, first in 1993 and again in 1997. During his terms as mayor, Giuliani became known for his focus on crime reduction, a policy reflected in his choice of William Bratton as the commissioner of the New York Police Department. Bratton instituted a policies inspired by the "Broken Windows" theory of policing, in which general community disorder leads to crime because of reduced levels of community engagement and social control.[3] According to The New York Times, Giuliani's time in office was accompanied by a decline in crime, largely attributed to both Bratton and Giuliani.[4]
Giuliani was also praised for his leadership as mayor after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. The New York Times described Giuliani as having a "take-charge attitude" focused on clearing the disaster site. For his work after the attacks, Giuliani was named Time magazine's "person of the year" in 2001. The magazine wrote, "Giuliani became the voice of America. Every time he spoke, millions of people felt a little better. His words were full of grief and iron, inspiring New York to inspire the nation."[5]
Presidential campaign, 2008
Giuliani entered the presidential race in 2008 as the frontrunner in the polls. According to The Guardian, Giuliani struggled to maintain a lead in the polls because voter concerns shifted from security to the economy. The paper reported, "As voters' concerns shifted towards economic insecurity, Giuliani struggled to get his message heard. And his personally abrasive style was endlessly picked over by the media. The more that voters saw of Giuliani, the less they were inclined to back him."[6] Giuliani dropped out of the race in January 2008 and endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).[7]
Private sector
Throughout his post-mayoral career, Giuliani has held positions in private firms based in New York City. In January 2002, he founded Giuliani Partners, a global security firm.[8] He joined the Texas law firm Bracewell and Patterson as a partner in 2005, and the firm was renamed Bracewell and Giuliani. Giuliani held this position until January 2016 when he joined the New York City firm Greenberg Traurig.[9]
| Possible Trump appointee (first term) |
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| During the 2016 presidential transition of power, Giuliani was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in Donald Trump's (R) first term. |
Full list of possible appointees |
See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 |
Donald Trump presidential transition team, 2016-2017
Giuliani was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team in his first presidential term. The transition team was a group of around 100 aides, policy experts, government affairs officials, and former government officials who were tasked with vetting, interviewing, and recommending individuals for top cabinet and staff roles in Trump's administration. He served as the team's vice chair.[10]
Republican National Convention, 2016
- See also:Republican National Convention, 2016
Giuliani was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from New York. Giuliani was one of six delegates from New York bound by state party rules to support John Kasich at the convention.[11] Kasich suspended his campaign on May 4, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 156 bound delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates.
Giuliani disputed his role as a Kasich delegate shortly after it became public. A spokesman for Giuliani told Politico New York in May 2016, "There’s obviously been some confusion. The mayor did not want to be a delegate. He’s going to the convention for a portion of the activities, and he’ll be speaking to some delegations. But he is not a delegate and didn’t agree to be a delegate because he has work conflicts that prohibit him from fulfilling the duties of a delegate."[12] In April 2016, Giuliani endrosed Donald Trump but added that he is "not a part of the campaign."[13]
Delegate rules
At-large delegates from New York to the Republican National Convention were selected by the New York Republican State Committee and were awarded to presidential candidates based on the results of the New York Republican primary election on April 19, 2016. District-level delegates were elected in the state primary election. All New York delegates were bound on the first round of voting at the convention.
New York primary results
- See also: Presidential election in New York, 2016
| New York Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Donald Trump |
59.2% | 554,522 | 89 | |
| John Kasich | 24.7% | 231,166 | 6 | |
| Ted Cruz | 14.5% | 136,083 | 0 | |
| Blank or void | 1.6% | 14,756 | 0 | |
| Totals | 936,527 | 95 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and New York State Board of Elections | ||||
Delegate allocation
New York had 95 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 81 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 27 congressional districts). New York's district delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the vote in a district in order to be eligible to receive a share of that district's delegates. The first place finisher in a district received two of that district's delegates and the second place finisher received one delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all of that district's delegates.[14][15]
Of the remaining 14 delegates, 11 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to receive a share of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[14][15]
Noteworthy events
Disbarred in New York (2024)
On July 2, 2024, Giuliani was disbarred in New York for making false statements related to the 2020 presidential election.[16] A five-judge panel on the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court for the first judicial district issued a unanimous decision disbarring Giuliani. The court wrote, "The seriousness of respondent’s misconduct cannot be overstated. Respondent flagrantly misused his prominent position as the personal attorney for former President Trump and his campaign, through which respondent repeatedly and intentionally made false statements, some of which were perjurious, to the federal court, state lawmakers, the public, the AGC, and this Court concerning the 2020 Presidential election, in which he baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process. In so doing, respondent not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 Presidential election, for which he is entirely unrepentant."[17]
Giuliani responded in a statement, "I’m not surprised that I’ve been disbarred by a Bar Ass’n which is a politically and ideologically integral part of the Democrat one party corrupted court system for a long time. Judges, like Merchan and Engoron in NYC are selected by local Democrat bosses. These judges, just like in a one party Communist dictatorship, are not really elected but selected by the Democrat local bosses and often run unopposed. The case is based on an activist complaint, replete with false arguments, a hearing officer who was a former judge from the same corrupt Democrat selection process, and a tape with almost 1/4th of the most critical parts erased and covered up by either the Chief NY Bar “persecutor” and his staff, or the Sec’y of State of Georgia."[18]
Criminal indictment by Georgia grand jury (2023)
On August 15, 2023, Rudy Giuliani was one of 19 defendants criminally charged in a grand jury indictment related to interference in the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.[19] Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) filed the indictment in Fulton Superior Court in Georgia, and the case was set to be heard by Judge Scott McAfee.[20]
Giuliani was charged with 13 criminal counts. Giuliani pleaded not guilty.[19][21] Click here for a more detailed list of the charges.
The indictment included a total of 41 criminal counts related to interference in Georgia's 2020 presidential election results against 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump (R), former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, and Georgia State Senator Shawn Still (R), among others.[19]
The indictment followed a special grand jury investigation into whether Trump and his allies attempted to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The grand jury convened in May 2022, and completed its investigation in January 2023.[22]
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| Coronavirus pandemic |
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On December 6, 2020, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Giuliani had tested positive for coronavirus.[23]
See also
- Republican National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- RNC delegate guidelines from New York, 2016
- Republican delegate rules by state, 2016
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CNN, "Rudy Giuliani Fast Facts," June 7, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "High-Profile Prosecutor," June 9, 1985
- ↑ Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, "What is Broken Windows Policing?" accessed November 17, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Giuliani Mends Fences With Bratton," March 8, 2007
- ↑ Time, "Mayor of the World," December 31, 2001
- ↑ The Guardian, "Giuliani's disastrous strategy," January 30, 2008
- ↑ ABC News, "Giuliani Ends White House Bid, Endorses McCain," January 30, 2016
- ↑ Giuliani Partners, "Rudolph W. Giuliani," archived July 11, 2011
- ↑ Greenberg Traurig, "Rudolph W. Giuliani to Join Greenberg Traurig in New York," January 19, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Vice President-Elect Pence to Take Over Trump Transition Effort," November 11, 2016
- ↑ Newsday, "Here are the New York State GOP delegates," May 20, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "On paper, Rudy Giuliani is a John Kasich delegate," May 18, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rudy Giuliani (sort of) endorses Donald Trump," April 19, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ Associated Press, "Giuliani is disbarred in New York as court finds he repeatedly lied about Trump’s 2020 election loss," July 2, 2024
- ↑ New York Courts, "Matter of Giuliani (2021-00506)," accessed July 12, 2024
- ↑ X, "Giuliani on July 2, 2024," accessed July 12, 2024
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Fulton Superior Court, "Indictment," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Trump, 18 others indicted for trying to overthrow 2020 Georgia election," August 14, 2023
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Contitution, "19 not guilty pleas as Trump Georgia defendants all waive arraignment," September 5, 2023
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Trump special grand jury probe in Georgia," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ Associated Press, "Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID," December 6, 2020
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