314 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 2 MARCH 2021
nation’s first non-peaceful transfer of power since the Civil War. You are
responsible for 140 injured Capitol Police. You are responsible for five
dead Americans. You incited a riot on January 6th and then stood back to
watch. Your immediate reaction to the dreadful scene that day was to
phone fleeing Senators to request that they further extend the vote-counting
delay that you helped manufacture, which is a treacherous act the
public knows about only because you cannot properly operate a smartphone.
Rather than apologizing for your actions, you have spent the ensuing
weeks deflecting blame and grasping for some way to explain your
misconduct. …
You declared without prompting or proof that my client, The Lincoln
Project, “planned” the January 6th insurrection “in order to hurt” Donald
Trump. You claimed The Lincoln Project and “some right wing groups
that operate for The Lincoln Project” were acting as “wolves in sheep’s
clothing,” suggesting that they had somehow disguised themselves as
Trump supporters while illegally occupying the Capitol. Mr. Bannon –
yes, Steve Bannon – expressed doubt about your initial claim, but nevertheless
you persisted by additionally asserting that “one of the people
who organized this is well known for having worked with The Lincoln
Project in the past.”
When Mr. Bannon then asked you to reveal the identity of this “guy working
with The Lincoln Project,” you responded with “I don’t know if I can
reveal his name, because we have that from anonymous sources.” Mr.
Bannon, realizing that you had no evidence to support your wild accusation,
stated “You’re killing me … you can’t throw a charge out there like
that and then say ‘Yeah, I got a double secret probation guy who I can’t
mention.’” Still, you held tight to your fantastical claim about The Lincoln
Project for the remainder of your appearance.
You committed a textbook act of defamation. You publicly accused The
Lincoln Project of an infamous and criminal act that it had nothing to do
with, as you well know. You lied.
You have until Wednesday, February 3rd to retract your statement fully
and apologize publicly to The Lincoln Project. Refuse at your peril. … You
will never again be America’s Mayor, but there may still be time to save
some of the cash that you pawned your credibility for, should Dominion
Voting Systems ultimately leave you with any.
In a later interview with Bannon, Giuliani said that he would not dignify
The Lincoln Project with a response but would be writing them a letter
telling them so.
New Mexico’s official state nickname is “Land of Enchantment” (“Tierra
del Encanto”). “Land of Enchantment” is also the name of the official state
ballad. Article 3 (“State Seal, Song and Symbols”) of Chapter 12 (“Miscellaneous
Public Affairs Matters”) of the New Mexico Statutes includes the
following: