Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges stemming from his role in an effort to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Arizona to Joe Biden.
Ten others, including former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges related to the case. Giuliani appeared remotely for the arraignment that was held in a Phoenix courtroom. His and Ward’s trials are scheduled for Oct. 17, about 3 weeks before the U.S. election.
During his remote appearance, Giuliani said he did not have an attorney at that time but will. When asked by the court whether he needed counsel appointed for the arraignment, Giuliani said: "No, no, I think I am capable of handling it myself."
Giuliani said he received a summons but did not have a copy of the indictment. He said he is familiar with the charges, though, by reading about them.
Arizona authorities tried unsuccessfully over several weeks to serve Giuliani notice of the indictment against him. Giuliani was finally served Friday night as he was walking to a car after his 80th birthday celebration in Florida.
On Tuesday, in response to the prosecutors request for a $10,000 cash bond, after outlining the difficulty in serving Giuliani in the case, Giuliani said: "I have a fair number of threats including death threats, and I don’t have security anymore ...so I have very strict rules about who gets up and who doesn’t."
Investigators weren’t allowed to go up to Giuliani’s New York residence, a doorman at the building refused to accept the documents and voicemails left for Giuliani weren’t returned, Klingerman said.
The prosecutor said before the notice was delivered, Giuliani mentioned the Arizona case on a podcast, telling listeners he found it hilarious that Arizona investigators were having difficulty finding him. "This is perfect evidence that if they’re so incompetent (that) they can’t find me, they also can’t count votes correctly," he said, according to Klingerman.
Giuliani responded that he hadn’t been hiding from Arizona authorities, saying he has strict rules about who can walk up to his residence given he’s been the target of death threats and doesn’t have security personnel. He also called the indictment political.
The judge required Giuliani to post a secured appearance bond of $10,000 as well as appear in Arizona within the next 30 days for booking procedures. "He has shown no intent to comply with the legal process in Arizona," prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman said in asking for the bond for Giuliani.
