Rudy Giuliani’s comeuppance
Many years ago I knew a disbarred lawyer. From him I learned that disbarment is pretty much permanent and, for all intents and purposes, applicable everywhere in the United States. My lawyer friend remains disbarred to this very day. It’s like getting a permanent ban on social media. Some exceptions are made, but not many.
In some states (such as Florida) a disbarred attorney must wait five years before they can even apply to be reinstated. Everywhere else it’s at least six months. Either way, apart from going to prison, it’s the worst thing that can happen to a lawyer. It means he’s finished practicing law, and all those years of study and dedication were for naught.
One place you don’t want to get disbarred in is Washington DC’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel. Getting disbarred in DC has the imprimatur of officialdom. It means you are almost certainly out for good. And DC Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox is recommending just that for Rudy Giuliani.
In his official recommendation, Fox said that the evidence proves that “Giuliani weaponised his law licence to bring a frivolous action in court to undermine the Constitution.” He goes on to say that “any lawyer that engages in this kind of misconduct, harming the country as [Giuliani] has done, has at least got to realise that his or her law licence is at risk.”
At 78 and short of cash, it’s doubtful that “America’s Mayor” can successfully take the usual route and get a hefty advance for a book. Besides, Rudy can’t even speak coherently for thirty seconds, so it’s doubly doubtful that he can sustain a rational train of thought for the 75,000 words or so necessary to complete a book.
And in the final analysis, who would want to read it? For one thing, MAGAs aren’t known for their reading skills. While it may be true that Donald Trump’s NFTs have sold out, the good news is the idiots who bought them don’t have to read them.
By the way, my disbarred lawyer friend grew up to be a MAGA idiot. Sometimes the Bar gets it right. If they disbar Rudy it will be an appropriate first step. The next step is to indict him, try him and then send him straight to prison. That would be justice, and few Americans deserve justice more than Rudy Giuliani. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.