Rudy Giuliani is facing removal from the New York State Bar Association, as the organization launches what it describes as a "historic inquiry" into the former New York mayor.
Writing in an official news release on its website, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) says it strongly condemns the violent uprising that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (January 6).
It adds that Wednesday's chaotic scenes were "orchestrated by individuals bent on subverting the will of the voters by disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election results".
The NYSBA states that, although "the blame for which lies first and foremost with President Donald Trump", he did not "act alone".
The statement adds:
"Hours before the angry mob stormed the Capitol walls, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, addressed a crowd of thousands at the White House, reiterating baseless claims of widespread election fraud in the presidential election and the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs."
Per The Independent, the organization then revealed that it has received "hundreds of complaints" about Mr Giuliani over the recent months, mostly based on his involvement in Mr Trump's "baseless efforts" to cast doubts over the 2020 election and overturn the results.
Watch Trump's address at the 'Save America March' in the video below:The organization then adds:
"As the nation’s largest voluntary state bar association, NYSBA has a responsibility to defend and protect the rule of law.
"Based on these complaints, and the statement Mr. Giuliani uttered shortly before the attack on the Capitol, NYSBA President Scott M. Karson has launched an inquiry pursuant to the Association’s bylaws to determine whether Mr. Giuliani should be removed from the membership rolls of the Association."
The NYSBA says that its bylaws state that "no person who advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of any state, territory or possession thereof, or of any political subdivision therein, by force or other illegal means, shall be a member of the Association."
The article then claims that Giuliani's speech made prior to the riots "quite clearly were intended to encourage Trump supporters unhappy with the election’s outcome" and encouraged them "to take matters into their own hands".
The organization then describes the subsequent attack on the Capitol as an "attempted coup, intended to prevent the peaceful transition of power".
The NYSBA concludes by stating: "Mr. Giuliani will be provided due process and have an opportunity – should he so choose – to explain and defend his words and actions."