Trump refuses to pay Giuliani for failed attempt to overturn election
In addition to blocking the payments owed to Giuliani, White House aides were also ordered not to field calls from him.
By ZACHARY KEYSERRudy Giuliani delivers remarks before Donald Trump rallies with supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S., September 28, 2016.(photo credit: REUTERS / JONATHAN ERNST)
US President Donald Trump is reportedly refusing to pay his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani for his work, which included an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the elections results amid unfounded allegations, according to the Washington Post.The newspaper report states that Trump directed his White House aides to hold on to legal fees owed to Giuliani after a tiff materialized between the two - a report then confirmed by The New York Times."The president is pretty wound up," a senior administration official told the Post.The Times stated that in addition to blocking the payments owed to Giuliani, White House aides were also ordered not to field calls from the former New York mayor.The Times, citing two unnamed White House officials, reported that the quarrel began with Giuliani's appeal to be paid $20,000 a day for his unsuccessful attempt to overturn election results in key states.Trump is reportedly also upset with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Vice President Mike Pence and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, in addition to a few other White House senior staff members, for unnamed reasons.Trump's decision to call for calm and his promise for a peaceful transition, in a video last Thursday, came at the urging of senior aides, some arguing that he could face removal from office or legal liability over his supporters' storming of the US Capitol, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.The House of Representatives on Wednesday made Trump the first US president to be impeached twice, charging him with inciting an insurrection as lawmakers sought to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November 3 election.Giuliani, who told the crowd they should engage in "trial by combat," may lead the impeachment defense, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a source. He has not responded to requests for comment.One of the sources, an outside adviser to the White House, said Giuliani was expected to play a lead role in any impeachment effort. The other source familiar with the situation said that Giuliani, a personal attorney of the president, would likely provide the kind of representation Trump wants.
Giuliani led the legal team that tried unsuccessfully to overturn Trump's election defeat. It failed to produce any evidence of significant fraud and lost dozens of court cases in key battleground states and at the Supreme Court before Biden's victory was confirmed.Giuliani's own reputation was battered during the often chaotic legal campaign. In one news conference, brown dye dripped down his face as he laid out false claims of election fraud, and he was ridiculed for another event held in the parking lot of a Pennsylvania landscaping company next to a sex shop.The former mayor of New York City did not respond to requests for comment on his role in a possible impeachment trial, and the White House also declined to comment.Democratic members of the House of Representatives introduce an article of impeachment this week, accusing Trump of inciting a mob of his supporters to storm the US Capitol last Wednesday.The House voted to impeach Trump, with several Republican representatives voting in favor of the move, and he now faces a trial in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested that there would be no Senate trial until after Trump leaves office.House Majority Whip James Clyburn also said on CNN that lawmakers might wait to send the impeachment article to the US Senate for a trial to give Congress time to approve Biden’s Cabinet nominees and other agenda items.Trump's choice of lawyers to defend him may be limited.
