Rudy Giuliani should be disbarred for 'harming the country,' says D.C. Bar Association counsel
 
 
Former U.S. Attorney and onetime New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani should have his law license revoked for "harming the country" as part of former President Donald Trump's effort to subvert and overturn the results of his 2020 electoral loss, a lawyer for the Washington D.C. Bar Association's Office of Disciplinary Counsel said on Thursday.
"It was a fundamental harm to the fabric of the country that could well be irreparable," Attorney Hamilton "Phil" Fox announced after a three-member panel found that Guiliani had likely violated at least one professional standard as part of his work to help Trump manipulate Pennsylvania's electoral results. "Any lawyer that engages in this kind of misconduct, harming the country as this has done, has at least got to realize that his or her law license is at risk."
While the Bar Association's panel did not specify which rule of conduct it had determined Giuliani most likely broke, chairman Robert Bernius left little doubt in the committee's finding, citing "clear and convincing evidence" that had been presented during days of recent testimony to determine whether Giuliani should face professional consequences for his role in the 2020 electoral scheme.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
 
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Bernius stressed that the panel's decision — set to be officially submitted to the district's full Board on Professional Responsibility — was "preliminary" and "non-binding," it nevertheless represents a significant advance in the ongoing process to hold Giuliani professionally accountable for his work on Trump's behalf. Last year the New York State Bar Association suspended Giuliani's law license for making "demonstrably false and misleading statements" about the 2020 election results. His license was suspended in D.C. shortly thereafter.
The final decision on Giuliani's fate rests in the hands of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Attorney John Leventhal, who represented Giuliani during the panel hearings, has argued for the least onerous punishments, such as a written or oral reprimand. Anything more, Leventhal cautioned to NBC News, and "you're going to chill effective advocacy in the future."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
- 
 Dutch center-left rises in election as far-right falls Dutch center-left rises in election as far-right fallsSpeed Read The country’s other parties have ruled against forming a coalition 
- 
 Judge rules US attorney ‘unlawfully serving’ Judge rules US attorney ‘unlawfully serving’Speed Read Bill Essayli had been serving in the role without Senate confirmation 
- 
 Trump ends Asia trip with Xi meeting, nuke threat Trump ends Asia trip with Xi meeting, nuke threatSpeed Read Trump had spent the last six days in Asia 
- 
 What does history say about Trump’s moves in Latin America? What does history say about Trump’s moves in Latin America?Today's Big Question ‘Bitter memories’ surface as the US targets Venezuela 
- 
 Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariff Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax 
- 
 Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICE Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch 
- 
 Is the ceasefire in Gaza really working? Is the ceasefire in Gaza really working?Today's Big Question Neither Israel and Hamas has an interest in a full return to hostilities but ‘brutally simple arithmetic’ in region may scupper peace plan long-term 
- 
 Shutdown stalemate nears key pain points Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff 



