Trump ally Giuliani pleads not guilty to Georgia election subversion charges -court filing

[September 02, 2023]  (Reuters) - Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, has waived a formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty in the Georgia election subversion case, according to a court filing on Friday. 

Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and New York City mayor, was charged last month along with former U.S. President Trump and 17 co-defendants with trying to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for former President Donald Trump during challenges to the 2020 election results, exits U.S. District Court after attending a hearing in a defamation suit related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, that has been brought against Giuliani by two Georgia election workers, at the federal courthouse in Washington, U.S., May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Giuliani is accused of making false statements about election fraud to officials in several states in a failed bid to convince them to approve an alternative slate of electors in the formal congressional certification of the election results to keep Trump in power.

Giuliani and other Trump allies are also accused of making false statements to Georgia lawmakers about the election.

Trump waived a formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty on Thursday. The latest charges mark Trump's fourth indictment since launching his reelection campaign for president.

In a separate case, a U.S. judge in Washington ruled on Wednesday that Giuliani is liable for defaming two Georgia election workers who were the target of vote-rigging conspiracy accusations following the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani will now face a civil trial in federal court in Washington to determine how much he will have to pay.

(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

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