WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he plans to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rudolph Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York. This announcement comes just two days after Giuliani, a political ally, suffered severe injuries in a car accident.
In a social media post, Trump praised Giuliani, famed for his leadership following the September 11, 2001 attacks but often criticized for his defense of Trump. The president described Giuliani as the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.”
Giuliani is currently recovering from a fractured vertebra and other injuries after being involved in a car crash in New Hampshire as a passenger, according to a spokesperson for Giuliani.
Giuliani was in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when a Honda HR-V, driven by a 19-year-old woman, rear-ended their vehicle late on Saturday evening, as reported by New Hampshire State Police.
Giuliani has been disbarred from practicing law in New York and Washington after he was found to repeatedly make false claims regarding Trump’s 2020 election defeat. He faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona concerning his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, though he has denied these allegations.
In addition, former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss received a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani over false ballot fraud claims he made about them related to the 2020 election. Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani of perpetuating Trump’s false narrative about a stolen election, which led to death threats and made them fear for their safety.
