Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has shed light on the "remarkable" way her office located and served former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani with an indictment related to his alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 election result in the state. Giuliani, who served as former President Donald Trump's lawyer, was indicted in April along with 17 others by an Arizona grand jury. He was the last of the defendants to be served, which occurred during his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida, last week.
In an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Mayes revealed that her office had attempted to serve Giuliani "on multiple occasions in multiple ways" over a series of weeks, but he was "not accepting service and was dodging our agents." However, Giuliani's penchant for podcasting and livestreaming online provided the key to locating him. "We found out essentially through his live streams," Mayes said. "He's not that hard to find."
Mayes dismissed Giuliani's claims that he was unaware he was being sought and that he had informed agents of his location ahead of being served. "He did not tell us where he was going to be except that he told the world where he was through his live cast," Mayes stated. "It's really hard to believe that he didn't know that we were looking for him given the number of times and the different ways we had tried."
The attorney general's office had previously attempted to serve Giuliani in New York City, where they were denied access to his building and stayed for two days. They also mailed him a letter, made phone calls, and ultimately sent agents to Florida to serve him. Mayes described the moment Giuliani was served, saying, "Our agents professionally served him after his birthday party, as the party was winding down and as he himself was leaving the house that he was in, we gave him a copy of the papers, and he went along his way."
Giuliani, however, has disputed Mayes' account, claiming in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he had cooperated with the attorney general's office and "accepted service like a gentleman." He stated, "I had just found out they were looking for me 24 hours before a surprise party was given to me by 200 Democrats and Republicans. I told them where I would be and I accepted service like a gentleman! I look forward to the day when the court systems are held accountable for abusing their powers."
Mayes laughed off Giuliani's claim, asserting that he had not informed her office of his location and that it was "really hard to believe he didn't know that we were looking for him, given the number of times and the different ways that we had tried."
The indictment against Giuliani and the others stems from allegations that they took part in a plot to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory in Arizona and falsely name Donald Trump the victor on fraudulent certifications of ascertainment. Trump, referred to as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the indictment, has not been charged with any crime. Giuliani has strongly denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Separately, Giuliani is among 15 people, including Trump, who were charged in Georgia over an alleged plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in that state. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.
