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☆ Giuliani Is Liable for Defaming Georgia Election Workers, Judge Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Alan Feuer | More About Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Rudolph W. Giuliani was liable for defaming two Georgia election workers by repeatedly declaring that they had mishandled ballots while counting votes in Atlanta during the 2020 election. A lawyer for Mr. Giuliani declined to comment. Judge Howell’s decision came a little more than a month after Mr. Giuliani conceded in two stipulations in the case that he had made false statements when he accused the election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, of manipulating ballots while working at the State Farm Arena for the Fulton County Board of Elections. Mr. Giuliani later sought to explain that his stipulations were solely meant to get past a dispute with Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss about discovery evidence in the case and move toward dismissing the allegations outright. But Judge Howell, complaining that Mr. Giuliani’s stipulations “hold more holes than Swiss cheese,” took the proactive step of declaring him liable for “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy and punitive damage claims.”

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Beryl A, Howell, Donald J, Howell’s, Ruby Freeman, Shaye Moss, Mr, Freeman, Moss, Judge Howell, ” Organizations: Court, Farm Arena, Fulton County Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Federal, Washington, Fulton

The federal prosecutors who charged former President Donald J. Trump this month with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election got access this winter to a trove of so-called direct messages that Mr. Trump sent others privately through his Twitter account, according to court papers unsealed on Tuesday. While it remained unclear what sorts of information the messages contained and who exactly may have written them, it was a revelation that there were private messages associated with the Twitter account of Mr. Trump, who has famously been cautious about using written forms of communications in his dealings with aides and allies. The court papers disclosing that prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, obtained direct messages from Mr. Trump’s Twitter account emerged from a fight with Twitter over the legality of executing a warrant on the former president’s social media. Days after the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the platform shut down his account. The papers included transcripts of hearings in Federal District Court in Washington in February during which Judge Beryl A. Howell asserted that Mr. Smith’s office had sought Mr. Trump’s direct messages — or DMs — from Twitter as part of a search warrant it executed on the account in January.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Jack Smith, Beryl A, Howell Organizations: Twitter, Capitol, Court Locations: Washington

☆ Rudy Giuliani concedes he made defamatory statements about Georgia election workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Katelyn Polantz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Rudy Giuliani concedes he made defamatory statements about Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss in an effort to resolve their lawsuit against him and to satisfy a judge who has considered sanctioning him. The late-night Tuesday filing from Giuliani says he doesn’t contest Moss and Freeman’s accusations that he smeared them after the 2020 election. Yet the filing says he still wants to be able to argue that his statements about voter fraud in the 2020 election were protected speech. Notably, he also refuses to concede that his statements caused damages to Moss or Freeman. CNN has reached out to a lawyer for Freeman and Moss.

Persons: CNN — Rudy Giuliani, Ruby Freeman, Shaye Moss, Giuliani, Moss, Freeman, Beryl A, Howell Organizations: CNN, New York City, DC Locations: Georgia, Moss

Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges, including one related to a campaign finance violation, in 2018. Mr. Corcoran has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Now in his late 70s, Mr. Trump is still searching for lawyers in the mold of the one who first mentored, protected and, in his words, “brutalized” for him: the ruthless and ultimately disbarred Roy M. Cohn. Mr. Trump is due to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday. When the indictment of Mr. Trump was unsealed on Friday, it became abruptly clear that the notes by Mr. Corcoran — identified as “Trump Attorney 1” — were far more extensive, and far more damaging, than previously known.

Persons: Judge Beryl A, Howell, Corcoran, Michael D, Cohen, Trump, ”, Roy M, Cohn, Mr, Corcoran —, “ Organizations: Federal, Court, Mr, “ Trump Attorney Locations: Washington, New York, Miami

Government investigators almost never obtain a clear lens into a lawyer’s private dealings with their clients, let alone with such a prominent one as Mr. Trump. But in March, a federal judge ordered Mr. Corcoran’s recorded recollections — now transcribed onto dozens of pages — to be given to the office of the special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the documents investigation. The decision by the judge, Beryl A. Howell, pierced the privilege that would have normally protected Mr. Corcoran’s musings about his interactions with Mr. Trump. Judge Howell, in a sealed memorandum that accompanied her decision, made clear that prosecutors believe Mr. Trump knowingly misled Mr. Corcoran about the location of documents that would be responsive to the subpoena, according to a person familiar with the memo’s contents. Mr. Corcoran’s notes, which have not been previously described in such detail, will likely play a central role as Mr. Smith and his team move toward concluding their investigation and turn to the question of whether to bring charges against Mr. Trump.

Persons: Trump, Corcoran, Corcoran’s, Jack Smith, Beryl A, Howell, Judge Howell, Smith Organizations: Mr

☆ A Capitol rioter identified by the massive tattoo on his stomach sentenced to 78 months in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man accused of assaulting a police officer in the 2021 Capitol riots has been sent to prison. James McGrew, 40, was identified after his giant stomach tattoo was identified in footage of the riot. He was sentenced to 78 months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. McGraw's King James tattoo Department of JusticeOn Friday, he was sentenced to 78 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers, according to the Department of Justice. During the riots, McGrew pushed and struck police officers and also launched a wooden handrail with metal brackets toward officers, according to his court documents.

☆ Lawyers reportedly found more classified government documents in Trump's Florida storage units alongside 'swords and wrestling belts'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump hired the team himself to do a more thorough search pursuant to a subpoena request. The documents were found with suits, swords, and wrestling belts, a source told the Washington Post. The FBI executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club estate in August, believing Trump's lawyers didn't comply with the earlier subpoena. According to the Post, Trump hired an outside law firm to conduct additional searches to comply with instructions by Chief US District Judge Beryl A. Howell. A person familiar with the search told the Post that the Florida storage unit was not cataloged and contained an assortment of gifts and clothing.

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