Donald Trump Indictment Will End 'Civilization,' Rudy Giuliani Says
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Rudy Giuliani appears in support of his son, New York Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Andrew Giuliani, at an election night watch party in Manhattan on June 28, 2022 in New York City and, inset, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on stage at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa on March 13, 2023.
Indicting Donald Trump would be "the kind of thing that ends a civilization," Rudy Giuliani, his former legal representative, has claimed, amid speculation that charges against the ex-president are imminent.
Trump is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, over his alleged involvement in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
A grand jury in New York has been hearing evidence for the case, and invited Trump to testify last week—which legal experts described as the "last stop" before an indictment. Trump has called it a "fake case" and a "political witch-hunt," claiming to his Truth social media followers on Saturday that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, and calling for protests.
If charges are brought, it would make Trump the first former president to be indicted, and it could damage his hopes of retaking the presidency in the 2024 race. He remains the only big name to have declared his candidacy in the Republican primaries so far.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was allegedly paid $130,000 by Cohen in 2016 to stay quiet about her supposed involvement with Trump while the presidential campaign was ongoing. Cohen has said under oath and in print that he was reimbursed by Trump.
While the New York Times previously reported that Bragg is pursuing a potential violation of state election law—something which his predecessor rejected as the alleged incident occurred during a federal election—Trump and his allies have painted the move as politically motivated by a Democrat district attorney.
Speaking to Newsmax on Sunday, Giuliani said: "It's usually the downfall of a great republic when the prosecution system is turned into a political device. You can look at ancient history, and you can see this is the kind of thing that ends a civilization."
Newsweek approached the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, via a direct message to the director of communications, for comment on Monday.
The investigation in Manhattan isn't the only legal challenge Trump is facing. The district attorney for Atlanta, Georgia, signaled last week that a decision on a two-year investigation into Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the 2020 election was imminent.
A Department of Justice special counsel is also investigating those efforts, as well as the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence.
Confirming that Trump had been invited to testify in New York, his current attorney, Joe Tacopina, downplayed the case to the Associated Press as "much ado about nothing" and "just another example of them weaponizing the justice system against him."
Cohen gave several days of testimony to the grand jury last week, and criticized Tacopina for his defense of Trump in media interviews. Tacopina hit back at Cohen, describing him to Newsweek as a "laughing stock" and noting the time in federal prison Cohen had done after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations and tax evasion.
As Cohen was giving a second day of testimony, on Wednesday it emerged that Daniels had met with prosecutors. Her lawyer said she "agreed to make herself available as a witness," in a further sign the Manhattan district attorney's office is gearing up to bring charges.
At least five witnesses testified in front of a grand jury over the issue in January: Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, Trump company employees; David Pecker and Dylan Howard, two former leaders of the National Enquirer who helped arrange the alleged deal; and Keith Davidson, a former lawyer for Daniels.
Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, joined Trump's personal legal team in 2018, after the alleged hush money payment occurred. He has been among those promoting Trump's theories of election fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
In August 2022, he appeared before a grand jury in Georgia as part of the probe looking into whether Trump interfered in the election there.
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