Rudy Giuliani has reportedly laid off a number of staffers and independent contractors in the last few weeks as the embattled lawyer finds himself the subject of a growing number of legal cases.
Politico reported on Thursday that Giuliani, the former personal lawyer to former President Trump, has laid off several members of his personal entourage to cut costs, citing one person familiar with the matter.
Giuliani reportedly recruited a part-time driver, Eric Ryan, the son of his friend Maria Ryan. Giuliani used to be seen by a full entourage while moving around Manhattan, which was sometimes as many as five people, according to Politico.
The Hill has reached out to Giuliani for comment.
The news of Giuliani reducing the size of his team comes as the former president’s ex-lawyer prepares for a number of legal battles.
Last month, federal prosecutors executed a search warrant at Giuliani’s home and law office as part of an investigation into his dealings with Ukraine.
They are looking into whether Giuliani illegally lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of Ukrainian oligarchs, the same officials who were helping him search for dirt on Trump’s political foes, including then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The former New York City mayor is also the subject of a pair of defamation lawsuits by two voting machine companies, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic.
Dominion is alleging that Giuliani spread a number of defamatory statements about it while he led Trump’s post-election legal campaign. Smartmatic is accusing Giuliani and others of grievously harming the company by claiming that it was connected to widespread election fraud.
Amid the mounting legal pressure, Giuliani’s advisers have reportedly pressed Trump’s team to dip into its $250 million campaign bank account and pay the attorney for the work he did to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a report from The New York Times.
Giuliani’s finances have reportedly taken a hit in the past, according to Politico, particularly when the lawyer was dealing with multiple divorces.
Politico also noted that Giuliani is said to live a high-flying lifestyle, frequenting fancy hotels and cigar bars and dishing out money on a private jet subscription service, a friend’s dental work and fountain pens.
Last November, The New York Times reported that Giuliani asked the president’s reelection campaign for $20,000 per day to pay for his legal services, as the campaign worked to contest the election results.
Giuliani, however, denied the report.