Rudy Giuliani’s Alleged Drinking Problem Will Badly Hurt Trump’s Legal Defense in Jan 6 Capitol Case

Rudy Giuliani's alleged drinking problems could jeopardize one of Donald Trump's primary legal defenses in the criminal proceedings vis-a-vis his attempts at overturning the 2020 presidential election. A New York Times investigation revealed that prosecutors in the federal investigation have questioned witnesses regarding Rudy Giuliani's alcohol use. If Trump relied on Giuliani's counsel while he was aware that Giuliani was intoxicated, it might be disastrous to his defense.

The prosecution anticipates Trump using an advise-of-counsel defense strategy. It would be difficult for the Trump legal defense to claim that he was just acting by expert legal advice while pushing election fraud claims if the former president was aware Giuliani was intoxicated when giving him advice, per HuffPost.

The Times reported that Trump, a non-drinker, had privately “spoken derisively” about Giuliani's alcohol consumption, citing various stories of Giuliani's “consistent, conspicuous intoxication,” according to a source who had known of his drinking problem.

Giuliani's drinking, according to The Times, “has been the pulsing drumbeat punctuating his descent” as the former mayor has fallen from grace. “It’s no secret, nor do I do him any favors if I don’t mention that problem because he has it,” former New York City Council president Andrew Stein told the outlet, adding that Giuliani's drinking is “one of the saddest things I can think about in politics.” 

The Times says that numerous witnesses have stated that Giuliani was under the influence on election night in 2020 when he reportedly persuaded Trump to declare victory even though the results had not yet been announced, per Forbes. Former Trump advisor Jason Miller reportedly told the House January 6 Committee, “The mayor was definitely intoxicated.” 

Giuliani's political advisor Ted Goodman has disputed these allegations. “I would remind folks that Rudy Giuliani is both the most effective federal prosecutor and most consequential Mayor, in American history,” Goodman said in a statement, claiming Giuliani “is only covered differently now, due to the simple fact that he dares to defend an innocent man who is being politically persecuted more than anyone in history,” referring to Trump. 

“I’ve been with the mayor regularly for the past year, and the idea that he is an alcoholic is a flat-out lie,” he told HuffPost. Giuliani is currently dealing with several legal and financial issues. He has been charged with racketeering in Georgia along with Trump and 17 other people for allegedly participating in a criminal plot to rig the state's election results. After losing a civil defamation trial in August, he was ordered to pay $133,000 to two election workers. He is now being sued by his previous attorneys for $1.4 million in unpaid legal fees.

Giuliani is also being sued by Hunter Biden for allegedly "hacking" into a missing laptop that belonged to President Joe Biden's son, and he has also been accused of sexual misconduct by two former coworkers.