Trump Remains Silent on Close Aide's Request for Lawsuit Expenses

Former New York Mayor Giuliani Unable to Cover Huge Legal Fees
Sought Help from Trump but No Support Promised

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly ignoring requests for help from his close aide Rudy Giuliani (79), the former New York City mayor, who is facing financial difficulties due to various lawsuits related to Trump.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 19th (local time) that "Giuliani repeatedly asked former President Trump for financial assistance, but no support was provided."

Giuliani, who served as the Manhattan District Attorney, captured numerous high-profile criminals and, based on that reputation, served as the re-elected mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He was also one of Trump’s closest aides, working as his personal lawyer during the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani is suspected of playing the so-called "architect" role in the organized illegal activities aimed at overturning the election results in Georgia, where Trump lost. Because of this, he has recently been indicted alongside Trump by the Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia and is embroiled in various lawsuits.

Giuliani earned a substantial income as a lawyer for a while, but in 2021, he was suspended by the New York State Bar Association. The disciplinary committee ruled that his claims of "fraud in the 2020 presidential election" violated the New York State lawyer ethics code.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (center) [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

As a result, Giuliani is unable to cover the growing legal fees, which have reached up to $3 million (approximately 4 billion KRW). Since then, he has earned income through radio appearances and other means, but it is known to be far from enough to cover his legal fees.

Giuliani’s acquaintances aimed to raise $5 million (approximately 6.7 billion KRW) through online fundraising to cover the legal costs. However, the actual amount raised was only $10,000 (approximately 13.4 million KRW).

Ultimately, Giuliani reached out to former President Trump for help. He visited Trump’s residence in Florida earlier this year to explain his situation but did not receive any promise of support.

Later, Giuliani’s son Andrew, who worked as a White House staffer, also met with Trump but only received a promise that he would participate in a fundraising event for Giuliani at a later time.

Trump has spent $27.2 million (approximately 36 billion KRW) on legal fees through various political action committees (PACs) that raise political funds. While some of this was used for the legal fees of close aides, Giuliani received only $340,000 (approximately 450 million KRW).

Giuliani maintains that Trump owes him money. He argues that since he handled over 50 lawsuits in battleground states immediately after the election, he should be paid legal fees.

However, Trump is resisting, stating that he cannot pay because all the lawsuits Giuliani filed ultimately failed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.