Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to nine felony charges related to his involvement in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election to Joe Biden in Arizona.
Also pleading not guilty were ten others, including former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, facing charges of conspiracy, forgery, and fraud. Giuliani attended the arraignment remotely from a Phoenix courtroom, with trials for him and Ward set for October 17, shortly before the U.S. election.
According to the indictment, Giuliani allegedly spread false claims of election fraud in Arizona after the 2020 election and organized a meeting in downtown Phoenix where he asserted officials did not verify the presidential election results accurately.
Attorney Brad Miller speaks with Kelli Ward and Michael Ward (Via Robert Burry/Getty Images)
The indictment further accused him of pressuring Maricopa County officials and state legislators to change Arizona’s election outcome and urging Republican electors to vote for Trump in December 2020.
During the remote arraignment, Giuliani stated he did not have a lawyer present and believed he could handle the proceedings himself. He mentioned receiving a summons but not having a copy of the indictment, although he claimed familiarity with the charges from media reports.
Arizona authorities had attempted for weeks to serve Giuliani notice of the indictment, finally succeeding on a Friday night as he left his 80th birthday celebration in Florida.
