Rudy Giuliani Says Trump 'Ordered' Him to Work for His Campaign Without Pay

Rudy Giuliani says he worked for the Trump campaign free of charge in the months following. the 2020 election. And he insists it wasn’t by choice.

According to legal documents obtained by Insider, the former NYC mayor made the claim while testifying for a defamation lawsuit filed by Eric Coomer, an executive for election technology supplier Dominion Voting Systems. Trump had accused the company of participating in widespread election fraud, claiming it had intentionally deleted 2.7 million Trump votes across the country. The allegations were part of Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election results—a failed mission in which Giuliani was heavily involved.

During his deposition, Trump’s former personal attorney was asked if had also represented the Trump campaign after Joe Biden’s victory was declared. Giuliani told Coomer’s legal team he had worked for the campaign without pay, and was only reimbursed for expenses. The plaintiff’s attorney questioned why Giuliani would choose to work for Trump without proper compensation. The lawyer replied: “The president — the president ordered me to do it.”

According to the deposition transcript, Giuliani said the former president called him into the Oval Office a day or two after the election. It was at that time Trump allegedly told his lawyer, “go over and take over the campaign, tell them you’re in charge.” Giuliani went on to file a number of lawsuits alleging voter fraud in key states; however, those complaints were ultimately thrown in court.

In the weeks leading up to his White House exit, Trump allegedly told his staff to stop paying legal fees to Giuliani. An insider told CNN the then-president had become frustrated with his attorney in wake of his second impeachment, but it was unclear if Trump’s comments were made in jest.