Giuliani disbarred over 'false and misleading' 2020 election efforts

Rudy Giuliani's association with former President Donald Trump has cost him his law license.

The former New York City mayor was disbarred on Tuesday in a decision handed down by the Appellate Division First Department in New York.

The ruling is a consequence of Giuliani's "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump's failed effort at reelection in 2020."

Giuliani claimed he believed the statements at the time he was making them but the court was not persuaded.

The decision added, "Contrary to respondent's allegations, there is nothing on the record before us that would permit the conclusion that respondent lacked knowledge of the falsehood of the numerous statements that he made, and that he had a good faith basis to believe them to be true."

As a lawyer, the decision said, Giuliani should have known better.

"The seriousness of respondent's misconduct cannot be overstated," the ruling said. "[R]espondent 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."

Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, said he would appeal the court's decision.

"Members of the legal community who respect the rule of law in this country should immediately come forward and speak out against this politically and ideologically corrupted decision. We will be appealing this objectively flawed decision in hopes that the appellate process will restore integrity into our system of justice," Goodman said in a statement.

Giuliani, several allies of Trump and alleged fake electors pleaded not guilty in May in a Maricopa County, Arizona, court for their alleged efforts to overturn the election results in the state.

That same month, Giuliani agreed to cease accusations of election fraud against two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 judgment after a judge found him guilty of defaming the two women.