The Lincoln Project Demands Rudy Giuliani Apologize, Tells Him 'Refuse At Your Peril'

You come for the Lincoln Project you best not miss.

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Twenty years ago, in 2001, was really the height of Rudy Giuliani’s reputation. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he was widely lauded as the kind of man who could lead through adversity (nevermind that New Yorkers had seen glimpses of a darker side, like the snit he got into over artwork); he was America’s Mayor and his political future seemed assured. And though he has continued to play a role on the national stage, his mainstream reputation has taken a big hit. Just how far his esteem has fallen was put into stark relief when he came into the crosshairs of the Lincoln Project.

In fairness, the Lincoln Project only went after him because he attacked first. On Friday, Giuliani appeared on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, and hoo boy, did he go off the rails. On the show, he made the wild claim that it was the Lincoln Project that was responsible for the January 6th insurrection, and that they dressed up as Trump supporters to incite the violence. Even Bannon seemed incredulous about this off-the-wall claim, asking him repeatedly for the source of his information, to which Giuliani would only say:

“I don’t know if I can reveal his name,” Giuliani responded. “Because we have that from anonymous sources. But he worked in the past for [Mitt] Romney.”

Hmmmm.

But if we know anything about the anti-Trump PAC, it’s that the Lincoln Project was about to come out swinging. Matthew Sanderson of Caplin & Drysdale penned the response, the first page of which is a laundry list of the ways in which Giuliani has peddled his reputation in service to Trump — complete with footnotes (omitted below):

Your unfortunate, self-inflicted decline has been a public spectacle. You wanted to “lock her up.” You panhandled foreign interests. You defended porn-star payoffs in eye-popping media appearances. You revealed sleazy schemes in butt-dialed voicemails. You gave a mattress-top interview to someone you thought was a journalist “looking for more,” but turned out only to be a comedian who showed you to be an easy mark. You represented the President of the United States in a parking lot press conference held right outside Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Fantasy Island Adult Bookstore, and Philadelphia Crematorium. You oozed hair dye while you spewed lies about the 2020 election. You assembled and led an “Elite Strike Force” legal team that somehow couldn’t manage to spell or to win in court.

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The letter then points the finger right back at Giuliani, listing the ways he personally contributed to the violent firestorm that ignited on January 6th:

More important than any of that, though, you betrayed your country when you rose to speak on January 6, 2021 before a raucous crowd that your client, ex-President Donald Trump, had invited to gather a short distance from the U.S. Capitol. You promoted bogus conspiracy theories. You said the presidency had been “stolen.” You advocated an extra-constitutional effort to overturn the obvious result of a free and fair election. You denigrated the established legal process for counting certified votes that would begin just moments later in a joint session of Congress. You directed people to “fight to the very end” to make sure that same process “doesn’t happen.” You shouted “Let’s have trial by combat!”You told your zealots what to do. They listened. They vandalized. They terrorized. They injured. They killed.You are responsible for an armed occupation of the U.S. Capitol and an insurrection against the United States. You are responsible for our nation’s first non-peaceful transfer of power since the Civil War. You are responsible for 140 injured Capitol Police. You are responsible for five dead Americans. You incited a riot on January 6th and then stood back to watch. Your immediate reaction to the dreadful scene that day was to phone fleeing Senators to request that they further extend the vote-counting delay that you helped manufacture, which is a treacherous act the public knows about only because you cannot properly operate a smartphone.

And of the obvious falsehood that the Lincoln Project incited the riots:

You committed a textbook case of defamation. You publicly accused The Lincoln Project of an infamous and criminal act it had nothing to do with, as you very well knew. You lied.

Giuliani was given a hard deadline to retract and apologize for his statements… or else:

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You have until Wednesday, February 3rd to retract your statement fully and to apologize publicly to The Lincoln Project. Refuse at your peril.

The Lincoln Project founder Steve Schmidt also appeared on MSNBC touting how “thrilled” he was that Giuliani was out there lying about his PAC:

“Steve Bannon knows he’s going to get sued by us also, and he is, and so is Donald Trump who is Rudy Giuliani’s client, and Rudy Giuliani is acting on his behest.”

He continues:

“But look, it is very difficult to sue somebody for defamation or libel in the United States, but our lawyers are telling us that Rudy is well across the line so we’re thrilled about this.”

Looks like the Lincoln Project is just itching for this fight.

You can read the full letter below:


headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).