Rudy Giuliani received a different kind of surprise at the end of his 80th birthday party on Friday night when he received a notice of indictment in the 2020 Arizona election subversion case, after weeks of successfully avoiding state prosecution.
Arizona prosecutors were trying to locate Trump’s former lawyer since his indictment at the end of Aprilalong with 17 others Trump allies, including former White House chief of staff John Eastman and lawyer Boris Epshteyn. The indictment, which also names former President Donald Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator, includes criminal charges of conspiracy, fraud and forgery.
When representatives from the attorney general’s office arrived, Giuliani was at his 80th birthday party, thrown in Palm Beach by Republican Party fundraiser Caroline Wren. The busy event was said to have been attended by around 200 attendees – a veritable who’s who of the former president’s inner circle, including Trump allies. Steve Bannon and Roger Stone.
In a since-deleted post to 2. They must admit they cannot count votes.”
But around 11 p.m., as the festivities ended, agents from the prosecutor’s office arrived and handed Giuliani the charging documents outside the home, prompting several guests to express outrage.
Richie Taylor, communications director for the Arizona AG’s office, confirmed that the office finally determined Giuliani’s whereabouts thanks to his nightly live broadcasts on X — an iteration of which he broadcast alongside Bannon and Stone during their party shortly before to be served.
Minutes after the former mayor received the charging documents, Arizona AG Kris Mayes reposted Giuliani’s earlier taunt, saying: “The last defendant was named moments ago. @RudyGiuliani no one is above the law.”
Giuliani withdrew his original post soon after.
Still, according to Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman, the former mayor remained “unfazed.”
“He was unfazed and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of life, who love and respect him for his contributions to society. We expect full vindication soon,” Goodman told POLITICO.
Wren, who organized the party, expressed the same sentiment.
“It was a wonderful night celebrating an American hero, Rudy Giuliani,” she told POLITICO. “It is unfortunate that even though Arizona’s southern border is wide open and crime is reaching an all-time high, the AZ Secretary of State’s office thought it would be a good use of resources to send agents across the country to present an indictment of a man who spent his entire life dedicated to law and order and was just trying to celebrate his 80th birthday among friends and family.”
The indictment is the latest in a series of legal troubles for Giuliani, including a indictment in Georgia on multiple criminal charges for what Georgia prosecutors say was an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Giuliani was also ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two Georgia election officials in a defamation case, which led to him The file for bankruptcy in December 2023.
According to Taylor, Giuliani is scheduled to appear in court for the Arizona case on Tuesday.
