Giuliani, others plead not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case

Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine charges he is facing in Arizona in relation to a case focused on efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state. 

Giuliani entered his not guilty plea remotely at an arraignment held in a courtroom in Phoenix. Numerous other individuals charged in the case, including former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, also entered not guilty pleas at their arraignments Tuesday.

Giuliani’s trial is set to begin in October. It’s the second criminal indictment he is facing after being charged in the fall in Georgia in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s probe into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state.

He has pleaded not guilty to all those charges as well.

In Arizona, Giuliani was charged along with other close Trump allies last month with nine felony charges, including counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

All 18 defendants in the case are accused of promoting false claims of voter fraud to try to convince state officials to reject President Biden’s victory in Arizona.

The other defendants in the case include the 11 individuals who signed documents asserting that they were the legitimate electors in the state and that Trump had won, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and attorneys Jenna Ellis, John Eastman and Christina Bobb.

Mike Roman, the director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 campaign, was also charged.

Arizona officials had struggled to track down Giuliani for weeks after the charges were filed to serve him the summons to appear, but he was eventually served Friday following his 80th birthday celebration.

The judge at the hearing Tuesday required Giuliani to post a bond of $10,000 and appear in Arizona for booking procedures within the next 30 days.

Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement that Giuliani looks forward to “full vindication” and baselessly accused Biden and his allies of weaponizing the justice system to prosecute Trump.

“These charges are essentially a cut and paste version of what they’re attempting to use to interfere with the 2024 Election and to take down President Trump and anyone willing to take on the permanent Washington political class,” Goodman said.

Prosecutors allege that Ward, who chaired the state party from 2019 to 2023, brought the fake electors together and pressured then-Vice President Pence to declare them the legitimate electors.

Ward also pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

Eastman was the first defendant to be arraigned in the case last week, also pleading not guilty.

Most of the defendants were being arraigned on Tuesday, but Meadows, Epshteyn and two fake electors are scheduled to be arraigned in June.

Arizona is the fourth state where charges have been brought in relation to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump has not been charged in Arizona but was referenced as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

— Updated 3:33 p.m. ET.