Attorney disciplinary committee recommends sanctions for Giuliani over election claims

An attorney disciplinary board on Thursday found at least one misconduct violation against former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, although the finding is preliminary and nonbinding.

A hearing committee with the D.C. Bar Board on Professional Responsibility (BPR), based in Washington, D.C., said a disciplinary counsel that brought ethics charges against Giuliani had proved at least one violation.

Hamilton Fox, an attorney with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, has argued in front of the hearing committee that Giuliani’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Pennsylvania were ethical violations for a lawyer that are grounds for disbarment.

Giuliani worked as a personal attorney for former President Trump when his legal team filed more than 60 lawsuits in the wake of the 2020 election, all of which failed.

In Pennsylvania, where Trump lost by around 80,000 votes, Giuliani personally argued a case claiming widespread fraud in the 2020 election before a Pennsylvania judge, who ultimately dismissed the case.

The BPR hearing committee found the ethics violation on Thursday after days of trial testimony that included arguments from the disciplinary counsel and Giuliani.

Giuliani had argued in front of the board that he has “been persecuted for three or four years” and that his role in Pennsylvania was to show “irregular actions” in the 2020 election were part of a larger pattern.

Fox told the board Giuliani should be disbarred, while Giuliani said the most he should receive is a reprimand, according to Fox, who spoke to The Hill on Thursday.

The board’s finding is preliminary — not final — and the agreement on a misconduct violation could change.

The case has moved into a post-briefing phase, afterward of which the hearing committee will issue a final report on the misconduct claim and any sanctions before final approval from BPR.

The D.C. Court of Appeals would have to make a final ruling in the case.

Giuliani has already had his New York law license suspended for his role challenging the results of the 2020 election.