Key Highlights :
Rudy Giuliani and his lawyer Robert Costello recently made a desperate appeal to former President Donald Trump to help pay for the former mayor’s ballooning legal fees. Giuliani and Costello traveled to Mar-a-Lago in late April where they had two meetings with Trump to discuss Giuliani’s seven-figure legal fees, making several pitches about how paying Giuliani’s bills was ultimately in Trump’s best interest. But the former president, who is notoriously strict about dipping into his own coffers, didn’t seem very interested. After Costello made his pitch, Trump verbally agreed to help with some of Giuliani’s legal bills without committing to any specific amount or timeline.
The trip to Mar-a-Lago is indicative of the financial stress Giuliani has been facing for months, as his legal troubles have continued to pile up. Trump’s Save America PAC paid $340,000 to a data vendor hosting Giuliani’s records, which was intended to settle Giuliani’s outstanding bill with the company. However, Giuliani has not received any additional payments since then.
Giuliani is currently facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions amid numerous lawsuits tied to his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. His attorneys have said in court that these legal quagmires have left him effectively out of cash and that he “cannot afford” a potentially $15,000 to $23,000 bill to pay for more discovery-related document searches. He even appears to have responded to some of the money crunch by listing for sale a three-bedroom Manhattan apartment he owns for $6.5 million.
The Georgia charges against Giuliani – 13 in all – includes violations of the state anti-racketeering law, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiracy to commit forgery, and making false statements. He has said in post-indictment interviews that the charges are an “affront to American Democracy” that will create “irrevocable harm to our justice system.”
Trump’s refusal to pay for Giuliani’s legal fees has surprised those in Trump’s inner circle, given Giuliani could find himself under intense pressure to cooperate with the federal and state prosecutors who have charged Trump. Giuliani sat down voluntarily with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigators this summer, and he was indicted this week in Georgia by the Fulton County district attorney.
It remains to be seen if Trump will change his mind and assist Giuliani with his legal bills, but for now, Giuliani must rely on other sources to pay for the mounting legal fees he is facing.