The New York State Bar Association has launched an inquiry to determine if Rudy Giuliani should be removed from the membership rolls. The move comes in wake of the Capitol riot that has widely been recognized as an assault on democracy.

In a statement released, the NYSBA blamed President Donald Trump for the “abhorrent incident” adding, “the President did not act alone.” The NYSBA statement says, “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.

“If we’re wrong, we will be made fools of, but if we’re right a lot of them will go to jail,” Mr. Giuliani said. “Let’s have trial by combat.”

The NYSBA claims to have received hundreds of complaints against Giuliani for his attempts to “cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and, after the votes were cast, to overturn its legitimate results.”

It says, “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.”

NYSBA also posted a series of tweets explaining its decision to launch the enquiry:

*Feature image by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.