Giuliani to enter not guilty plea in Fulton County case, waive arraignment

Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's former lawyer, will waive arraignment and enter a not guilty plea in the Fulton County, Georgia case in which he's charged alongside the former president, according to his spokesperson.

Trump and several other defendants have already filed waivers and entered not guilty pleas.

"I can confirm that it is his intention to waive," said Giuliani's spokesperson and political advisor Ted Goodman.

Giuliani faces 13 charges related to the racketeering case, in which 19 people are accused of acting as a "criminal enterprise" in their efforts to overturn Georgia's vote after President Joe Biden won. 

Giuliani, who is accused of spearheading the effort, surrendered to Fulton County authorities on Aug. 23, submitting to a booking photo and fingerprinting. He was released on $150,000 bond.

Giuliani's Atlanta-based attorney said Wednesday that the majority of defendants waive arraignment if they're given the opportunity to do so. Appearing at arraignment is optional for Georgia defendants.

"99% of the time, defendants choose to waive formal arraignment and to not have to appear if the judge allows it," said the attorney, Brian Tevis.

Trump was also charged in early August in a federal case alleging he and six unindicted, unnamed alleged co-conspirators interfered with the peaceful transfer of power after his 2020 loss to Biden. Another attorney for Giuliani, Robert Costello, told CBS News that Giuliani "appeared" to be one of those unnamed alleged co-conspirators.

Trump has entered a not guilty plea in that case. He and Giuliani have denied wrongdoing in both cases. 

In:
• Rudy Giuliani
• Donald Trump

Graham Kates

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]