U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell chastised Rudy Giuliani in no uncertain terms.
The dressing down followed Giuliani's decision to repeat defamatory claims against two Georgia election workers.
Speaking to reporters feet from the courthouse following the first day of his defamation trial, Giuliani stated he didn't regret accusing Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of election fraud following Donald Trump's defeat to Joe Biden in Georgia.
He added that the two low-ranking Fulton County election workers, a mother and daughter, “engaged in changing votes.” Giuliani was defiant when someone off camera objected that there was “no proof of that.”
Judge Howell grilled “America's mayor” for his unsubstantiated and libelous statements. Giuliani has already been found liable. The trial is to determine damages. Freeman and Moss are seeking as much as $43.5 million in damages.
Per NBC News:
Freeman and Moss received an “overwhelming” amount of “vile, racist, hateful comments” that were “fueled” by Giuliani and his co-conspirators, one of their attorneys, Michael Gottlieb, told jurors.
For a staggering number of Americans, their names have become synonymous with crime and fraud, Gottlieb said.
Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley told jurors there's no question that Freeman and Moss were harmed and that they're “good people,” but he added that the “punishment must match the crime.” He said Giuliani never promoted racism or violence and that the millions of dollars Freeman and Moss are seeking would be the “civil equivalent of the death penalty.”
“It would be the end of Mr. Giuliani,” Sibley added.
A jury of eight will decide how much Giuliani must pay.
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