Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump, has been suspended from WABC radio and had his daily afternoon talk show canceled, the station’s owner confirmed.
The move comes after Giuliani repeatedly claimed on air that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump through widespread fraud, claims that have been thoroughly investigated and refuted. Still, Giuliani has continued to stand by them.
John Catsimatidis, the billionaire GOP donor who owns WABC parent company Red Apple Media, said Giuliani was warned twice about his controversial statements but failed to heed those warnings.
“We’re supposed to have an open debate about everything,” Catsimatidis told NBC News. “But he was advised if he kept doing it he would be taken off the air and that’s what happened.”
In a letter to Giuliani obtained by NBC News, Catsimatidis cited the $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Giuliani by Dominion Voting Systems over his election fraud claims.
“You are now once again stating that there was fraud. You may not do so on our airwaves,” Catsimatidis wrote. He said the permanent cancellation was “not preplanned” but that “we need to know where to draw the line.”
Giuliani called his suspension a “clear violation of free speech” and claimed he was never warned against making such statements on air.
Election Fraud Claims Led to Suspension
Giuliani was one of the loudest voices claiming widespread fraud and voting irregularities after Trump’s 2020 defeat. But dozens of lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign were dismissed, and reviews in battleground states confirmed the election results.
Still, Giuliani continued to repeat those claims on his weekday afternoon radio show, drawing warnings from WABC management.
The final straw appears to have been on February 8th, when Giuliani interviewed former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis and agreed with her assertion that the Georgia election was “stolen” from Trump.
Giuliani also faces a $1.3 billion defamation suit from Dominion Voting Systems, which accuses him of carrying out “a viral disinformation campaign” that damaged its business.
Smartmatic recently settled a similar suit against One America News Network, though the terms were not disclosed. And in December, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $775 million to settle their case, though it admitted no wrongdoing.
With legal threats mounting, media organizations have become increasingly wary about airing baseless claims that the 2020 election was somehow rigged or fraudulent.
Giuliani’s Influence Waning
The suspension caps a stark fall for “America’s Mayor,” once hailed a hero for his leadership after 9/11 but now facing lawsuits and a federal probe over his election statements.
The 78-year-old was temporarily suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington D.C. after making false claims about the election. His law licenses in both jurisdictions now face permanent revocation.
In 2021, federal agents raided Giuliani’s home and office, seizing electronic devices as part of an investigation into his Ukraine dealings while serving as Trump’s personal attorney.
No charges have been filed in that case, but the probe remains ongoing. Prosecutors are reportedly focused on whether Giuliani illegally lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of Ukrainian officials.
The former mayor has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the various investigations are politically motivated.
But his suspension from WABC represents yet another blow and further erosion of the sterling reputation he once enjoyed due to his handling of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
It remains to be seen whether Giuliani will face charges over election interference in Georgia or for illegal foreign lobbying. But the mounting legal threats continue to cast a dark cloud over his legacy.
