A week before Rudy Giuliani appeared before a jury in Georgia, his lawyers contacted local prosecutors to inform them that a recent medical procedure would prevent the former New York mayor from flying to Atlanta, according to court records. But his request to delay the appearance of the grand jury on Tuesday was met with little sympathy by the office of Fanni Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who is investigating former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Agriculture. Willis’ office responded with evidence — and a tweet from New Hampshire — suggesting Giuliani actually had no problem traveling. In a court filing Monday, local prosecutors in Georgia said they had obtained records showing Giuliani “purchased multiple airline tickets with cash, including tickets to Rome, Italy and Zurich, Switzerland,” for flights between July 22 and July 29 . Willis’ office did not say Giuliani took those flights.) “All of these dates were after the witness’ medical procedure,” a prosecutor wrote, referring to Giuliani, on the eve of his scheduled court appearance. “Finally,” the prosecutor added, “in light of the letter provided to the prosecutor indicating that the witness has not been cleared for air travel, the prosecutor has offered to provide alternative methods of transportation for the witness, including bus or train fare. . ” The filing included a screenshot of an Aug. 1 social media post depicting Giuliani in New Hampshire. A tweet showed Rudy Giuliani in New Hampshire after an unspecified medical procedure. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office A Fulton County judge responded by setting a hearing for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday regarding Giuliani’s “emergency” request to delay his court appearance. Giuliani’s attorney, William H. Thomas Jr., declined to comment. In a separate court hearing Monday, Thomas admitted that Giuliani traveled from New York to New Hampshire after an unspecified medical procedure. But he emphasized, in italics, that Giuliani made the trip “in a private car in which he was a passenger.” Pointing to a doctor’s note, Thomas said it was “unauthorized air travel.” But Willis’ office, he wrote, “remained steadfast in their refusal to agree to a continuance.” Thomas added that Giuliani would actually appear before the grand jury, but Willis’ office requested to testify in person. “It is important to note here that it is Mr. Giuliani [sic] in no way seek to improperly delay or obstruct this proceeding or avoid giving evidence or testimony not subject to some claim of privilege in this matter,” Thomas wrote. “He stated otherwise, he is and was willing to to cooperate in this matter is subject to any moral obligations which may preclude such cooperation.” Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has in recent weeks moved quickly to secure additional testimony in her investigation of Trump. AP Photo/Ben Gray, File
Fanny Willis’ offensive moves
Court filings on Monday shed light on a dispute between local prosecutors in Georgia and Giuliani’s lawyers over his scheduled appearance before a grand jury investigating election meddling by Trump and his allies in the state. As part of the investigation, local prosecutors are looking into a now-infamous phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, urging him to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss to Joe Biden. Willis has moved aggressively in recent weeks. In addition to winning a court battle forcing Giuliani to testify before a grand jury, her office went after fake voters who supported Trump and subpoenaed Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, prompting legal observers to consider her investigation Georgia as one of the most dangerous for the former president. After the 2020 election, Giuliani was among the former president’s allies involved in a plan to frame so-called pro-Trump alternative voter proxies in key battleground states, including Georgia. Court filings revealed that Willis’ office notified all 16 pro-Trump voters in Georgia that they could face charges in connection with the criminal investigation. In December 2020, Giuliani appeared in person before two committees in the Georgia state legislature, where he spent hours peddling false conspiracy theories about voter fraud. “You cannot certify Georgia in good faith,” he reportedly told lawmakers. The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on Capitol Hill has also highlighted Giuliani’s efforts in Georgia. In June, one of the committee’s public hearings included testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, a former Georgia election official who was the target of a conspiracy theory promoted by Trump and Giuliani that she processed fake ballots for Biden. “It’s turned my life upside down. I don’t give out my business card anymore… I don’t want anyone to know my name,” Moss said in emotional testimony before a House panel on Jan. 6. “I don’t go to the grocery store at all. I haven’t gone anywhere at all. I’ve gained about 60 pounds. I just don’t do anything anymore.” Loading Something is loading.
