Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges from his role in trying to reverse Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in Arizona.
Giuliani, who was served with an indictment after his 80th birthday party with much difficulty, appeared virtually for the arraignment held in a Phoenix courtroom. His trial is in October.
Eleven other people, including former Arizona Republican Party head Kelli Ward, were also arraigned Tuesday for conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges. Of the twelve, Ward and nine others have pleaded not guilty. Ward’s trial date is set for October 17.
Giuliani did not have an attorney during his remote appearance but assured the court he would. According to him, he had received a summons but no copy of the indictment but he he said he was familiar with the charges by reading about them. When asked whether he needed counsel for the arraignment he said “No, no, I think I am capable of handling it myself,” AP News reported.
Because Arizona investigators spent several weeks trying to serve Giuliani his indictment, prosecutors requested a $10,000 cash bond as compensation. Giuliani argued that wasn't fair, claiming he was hard to find because of concerns for his safety (he had mocked Arizona officials in a post on social media just before he was finally served).
“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," the former mayor explained.
The judge, however, did not buy it, requiring Giuliani to post a $10,000 secured appearance bond. He is required to appear in Arizona within the next 30 days for booking procedures, the Associated Press reported.
In a statement, Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, denounced the case and said that the former mayor "looks forward to full vindication soon."
