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With Rudy Giuliani’s defamation trial kicking off this week in Washington, I think it’s useful to recount the terror the onetime Trump lawyer wrought upon Ruby Freeman.
Because a federal judge has already found Giuliani liable, the civil trial will simply determine how much he will be required to pay Freeman, the former Georgia election worker.
Freeman has testified about her experience about being falsely accused of cheating Donald Trump out of victory in the 2020 presidential election. Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, who are Black, both told the House Jan. 6 committee about the racism and threats directed their way when Trump and Giuliani spread falsehoods about them.
Just to give you a sense of the abuse Giuliani inflicted on Freeman, here’s a quick timeline.
Nov. 19, 2020
Giuliani holds a conspiratorial news conference after Trump’s election loss, in which he decries mail-in voting and cites “fraudulent ballots” in Georgia.
The minute that you separate the outer envelope from the ballot, you can no longer trace it, which is why whatever the count in Georgia today is, it’s totally ridiculous. They’re counting the same fraudulent ballots one more time. And we’re still very close!
Dec. 3
Appearing before Georgia state lawmakers, Giuliani presents a short video that he falsely alleges shows Fulton County election workers engaging in fraud. Both Giuliani and the Trump campaign promote the video throughout the day.
That night, Giuliani tweeted that the footage proved that “Fulton County Democrats stole the election.”
Dec. 4
Gabriel Sterling, a Republican serving as the chief operating officer for the Georgia secretary of state, debunks Giuliani’s claim.
But Giuliani refuses to back down, as evidenced by this tweet from that night:
According to Reuters, Freeman called 911 that night and told the dispatcher that she had received a flood of “threats and phone calls and racial slurs.” She added: “It’s scary because they’re saying stuff like, ‘We’re coming to get you. We are coming to get you.’”
Dec. 6
Freeman again calls 911, this time to report loud banging on her door at night, she told Reuters, after strangers had come by the previous night.
“Lord Jesus, where’s the police?” she asked. “I don’t know who keeps coming to my door.”
“Please help me.”
Dec. 7
Giuliani again shares false claims about security cameras capturing Georgia election workers in the act of committing fraud.
Dec. 10
During a video call with Georgia state legislators, Giuliani accuses Freeman and Moss by name of illegal activity, saying they were “passing around USB ports as if they’re vials of heroin or cocaine.”
In reality, Freeman had given her daughter a ginger mint.
Dec. 23
On his “Common Sense” podcast, Giuliani falsely accuses Freeman of having “a history” of fraud participation and accused her and other election workers of “cheating” in a way that “looks like a bank heist.”
Dec. 25
In a Christmas episode of his podcast, Giuliani accuses Freeman “and her crew” of leading a scheme to steal the election.
Dec. 30
Giuliani compares the Freeman footage to the famous video of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
“I consider it like the Zapruder film was to the Kennedy assassination; this film will live for a hundred years,” Giuliani told right-wing outlet One America News. “For a hundred years, this film will show that the 2020 presidential election — there was an attempt to steal it.”
Jan. 2, 2021
Giuliani joins a call between Trump and Georgia election officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. On the call, Trump falsely refers to Freeman as a “professional vote scammer and hustler” and a “known political operative and balloteer.”
Jan. 6
Giuliani speaks during Trump’s Jan. 6 rally at the Ellipse in Washington, insisting there was election fraud in several states, including Georgia, and proclaiming: “Let’s have trial by combat!”
“I’m willing to stake my reputation, the president is willing to stake his reputation, on the fact that we’re going to find criminality there,” he said.