Georgia election worker says her life 'flipped upside down' by false
fraud claims
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[December 13, 2023]
By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A former Georgia elections worker told a jury on
Tuesday that she feared for her life after Rudy Giuliani and other
allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump falsely accused her of
attempting to rig the 2020 election.
Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, a former voter registration officer in Fulton
County, testified at the second day of Giuliani's defamation trial that
her life "flipped upside down" in early December 2020 when Trump allies
began falsely claiming that she and her mother, Ruby Freeman, engaged in
fraud after the November election.
"How can someone with so much power go public and talk about things that
he obviously has no clue about?" Moss, 39, said of Giuliani. "It's just
obvious that it's lies."
A federal judge has already determined that Giuliani, the former mayor
of New York and personal lawyer for Trump, defamed Moss and Freeman. The
only issue for the jury to decide is how much Giuliani owes in damages.
Moss testified that the ordeal has affected "every single aspect" of her
life, forcing her out of her job and leaving her fearful of going out
alone. She spoke of receiving a flood of racist messages that included
threats to lynch her and her mother.
"I literally felt that someone is going to come and attempt to hang me
and there’s nothing that anyone will be able to do about it," Moss said.
Giuliani's lawyer Joseph Sibley has argued that others besides Giuliani
bear responsibility for the harm the two workers suffered. During
cross-examination, Sibley questioned Moss on whether there was evidence
that Giuliani intended to spur threats and racist attacks against her
and her mother.
"Rudy Giuliani and his crew were the start of it all," Moss said. "They
lit the torch."
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Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, former Elections Department employee in Fulton
County, Georgia, testifies, as her mother, Georgia election worker
Ruby Freeman looks on, during the fourth public hearing of the U.S.
House Select Committee to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on
the U.S. Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S. June 21,
2022. Michael Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
REPEATING FALSE CLAIMS
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who is overseeing the case,
scolded Giuliani earlier on Tuesday for repeating the accusations as
he left the courthouse following the first day of the trial.
Giuliani told reporters on Monday outside the courthouse that
"everything I said was true" and again accused Moss and Freeman of
"changing votes," according to an ABC News report. Giuliani
confirmed in court on Tuesday that he made the statement.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs noted that the judge has already deemed
that Giuliani's prior statements were false and he should not be
allowed to challenge that determination during the trial.
Howell said Giuliani's Monday remarks "could support another
defamation claim" and contradicted his lawyer's statement in court
that the workers were "good people."
The judge said it would be "grossly unfair" for Giuliani to make
similar statements when he testifies at trial, which is expected
later this week.
Sibley, Giuliani's lawyer, told the judge that the case has "taken a
toll" on the 79-year-old Giuliani, but he would be able to manage
his client's statements in court.
"I can't control what he says outside the courtroom," Sibley said.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Bill
Berkrot and Lisa Shumaker)
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