NEW YORK — The New York State Bar Association announced an inquiry to consider revoking the membership of President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
In a statement posted to its website, the association says it got hundreds of complaints in recent months about Mr. Giuliani and his "baseless efforts on behalf of President Trump to cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and to overturn the result once the votes were counted."
The New York State Bar Association says on its website it "strongly condemned the violent uprising that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, orchestrated by individuals bent on subverting the will of the voters by disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election results."
While Congress was able to reconvene and count the Electoral College votes to confirm President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Haris' win, the New York State Bar Association says the root of what caused the riots needs to be addressed.
And that blame, the New York State Bar Association says, "lies first and foremost with President Donald Trump." But, the association also places some blame on Giuliani for his role in the effort to undermine the results of the election.
"...the president did not act alone. Hours before the angry mob stormed the Capitol walls, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, addressed a crowd of thousands at the White House, reiterating baseless claims of widespread election fraud in the presidential election and the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs," the New York State Bar Association said.
That action from Guiliani ahead of the riots in DC -- in combination with all the complaints the New York State Bar Association has gotten about him -- has pushed President Scott M. Karson to launch an inquiry in accordance to the association’s bylaws to determine whether Giuliani should be removed from the association.
The New York State Bar Association bylaws say, “no person who advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of any state, territory or possession thereof, or of any political subdivision therein, by force or other illegal means, shall be a member of the Association.”
New York State Bar Association says, "Giuliani’s words quite clearly were intended to encourage Trump supporters unhappy with the election’s outcome to take matters into their own hands. Their subsequent attack on the Capitol was nothing short of an attempted coup, intended to prevent the peaceful transition of power."
The New York State Bar Association said this decision was not made lightly. It says it can't just stand by and "allow those intent on rending the fabric of our democracy to go unchecked."
The New York State Bar Association says Giuliani will get due process and have an opportunity to explain and defend his words and actions if he chooses to.
Giuliani is a former New York City mayor.
In a previous statement on Twitter, Giuliani condemned the riots on the Capitol.
"The violence at the Capitol was shameful," Giuliani wrote. "It was as criminal as the rioting and looting this summer which was not condemned strongly enough by the Left. This violence is condemned in the strongest terms. Our movement values respect for law and order and for the Police."
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