Rudy Giuliani is now in charge of President Donald Trump's campaign lawsuits and public communications about them, following setbacks in Arizona and Pennsylvania, according to four people familiar with the move.
Trump put his personal attorney at the top spot Friday after a lawsuit was dropped in Maricopa County, Arizona, which claimed ballots that had been cast for the president were not valid because voters used Sharpie pens to mark their choices, The New York Times reported.
Some Trump advisers, though, oppose him using Giuliani as the main attorney in the case, with a half-dozen of them calling the former New York City mayor's efforts counterproductive and saying he is giving the president too much-unwarranted optimism about his chances with legal actions.
They also say Giuliani is a danger to Trump's legacy and any future political opportunities, including a run for the White House in 2024.
The campaign and Giuliani did not respond to the Times' request for comment, but a spokesman for the president's attorney confirmed his expanded role, reports ABC News.
ABC also reported the president's move also came after court filings from the K Street firm of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur asked to withdraw from the Trump campaign's lawsuit in Pennsylvania over the election results.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden holds a lead of 63,192 votes in Pennsylvania, per AP election results. There were six setbacks in court cases in the state Friday, inducing a ruling 8,921 votes the legal team had contested would not be thrown out.
Trump put Giuliani on the phone Thursday during an Oval Office meeting with aides. The former mayor reportedly berated the aides, saying he did not tell Trump the truth, but deputy campaign manager Justin Clark was aggressive and pushed back, according to the Times' sources.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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