Matias J. Ocner/TNS/Zuma
For the third time this year, former President Trump has been indicted, this time on federal charges related to his attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. He faces three different conspiracy counts. And he didn’t act alone.
Prosecutors say that Trump worked with at least six co-conspirators, five of whom are attorneys. My colleague Dan Friedman pieced together the presumptive identities of the lawyers based on information in the charging documents. The alleged co-conspirators include “Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference host Rudy Giuliani.
And yet, somehow, Giuliani’s attempts to subvert American democracy may not be the most damning thing he’s in the news for this week. Transcripts of Giuliani’s private comments have come to light as part of a lawsuit from a woman accusing the Trump lawyer of rape and sexual abuse. They include him making lewd comments about the size of Jewish men’s genitalia and telling a woman he wants to “claim” her breasts.
Some of the comments seem too absurd to be true. They’re real. At one point, he says that Jews need to “get over” Passover. “OK, the Red Sea parted,” he says. “Big deal. Not the first time that happened.” At another point, Giuliani calls Matt Damon a homophobic slur and then launches into song: “Matt Damon is also 5’2. Eyes are blue. Coochie-coochie-coochie-coo.”
“It’s disappointing to see some so-called ‘journalists’ stoop so low with these smears and attacks against a man who has dedicated his life to serving others,” a spokesperson for the former mayor told Rolling Stone. “Mayor Giuliani cleaned up the streets of New York City, took down the Mafia and comforted the nation following September 11th.”
But you know the old question. What have you done for me lately?
This article first appeared in the Mother Jones Daily, our newsletter that cuts through the noise to help you make sense of the most important stories of the day. Sign up for free here!
