Judge finds Rudy Giuliani liable for defamation of two Georgia election workers

Rudy Giuliani is liable for defaming two Georgia election workers by repeatedly claiming the women were manipulating 2020 ballots, a federal judge has ruled.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

A judge has ruled against Rudy Giuliani in a defamation lawsuit brought by two election workers he falsely accused of committing voter fraud. The ruling comes as Giuliani faces criminal charges for similar actions in a sweeping racketeering indictment against the former New York mayor, former President Donald Trump and 17 others in Georgia. Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler is covering the story. Hey, Stephen.

STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Hey, there.

SHAPIRO: Tell us more about this defamation lawsuit. Who brought it and what did Giuliani do to them?

FOWLER: Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss are this mother-daughter election worker duo, in Fulton County in Atlanta, at the center of a bunch of conspiracies and attacks from Trump, Giuliani and others who claimed without evidence they were counting fraudulent ballots in Georgia’s presidential election that altered the outcome. Here’s one of the accusations Giuliani made in a Georgia legislative hearing December 2020.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RUDY GIULIANI: …Tape earlier in the day of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Freeman Moss and one other gentleman quite obviously, surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they’re vials of heroin or cocaine.

FOWLER: Now, Ari, in that particular video, they said they were passing a ginger mint to each other. Republican state officials in Georgia found no evidence of them altering the vote totals. And as Freeman testified to the House January 6 committee, they face life-altering threats and harassments because of these claims.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RUBY FREEMAN: I’ve lost my name, and I’ve lost my reputation. I’ve lost my sense of security. All because a group of people, starting with number 45 and his ally, Rudy Giuliani, decided to scapegoat me…