Steve Bannon Makes Promise to Rudy Giuliani

Conservative media personality Steve Bannon made a promise to protect Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's former lawyer, on Friday before Giuliani received a summons in the Arizona fake electors case against him.

In April, a grand jury indicted 18 people for allegedly conspiring to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in Arizona in a case brought on by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. When the indictment was first released, seven names of Trump allies were redacted—one of which being Giuliani's.

On Friday night, Giuliani received a court summons in connection to the case. According to Arizona politics reporter Rachel Louise Just, Giuliani was served just as guests at his early 80th birthday celebration finished singing "Happy Birthday" to him.

Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, will turn 80 years old on May 28. To celebrate his birthday, Giuliani hosted a livestream with some of his friends in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bannon said on the livestream: "This is how dangerous they know this guy is. They have every instrument of state power to pressure Giuliani—to bankrupt him, to put him in jail, to smear him. We're not gonna let it happen."

Another guest can be heard in the background saying, "We love you Rudy! We love you!"

Bannon continued: "Not even too good a man, you're too—Rudy at 80 years old. How many people at 80 years old, your moments' now finally come. This is when America needs you the most. And we're not gonna win in 2024 unless you are a major part of this."

Giuliani's spokesperson Ted Goodman told Newsweek via email on Sunday, "The mayor was served after the party and as he was walking to the car. He was unfazed and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of life, who love and respect him for his contributions to society. We look forward to full vindication soon."

Bannon, former White House chief strategist under the Trump administration, told Newsweek via text message on Saturday: "The illegitimate AG of Arizona has yet to actually win her own race—this is a sham persecution of American patriots."

There is no evidence to suggest that Mayes, a Democrat, did not fairly win her 2022 race against Republican Abraham Hamadeh by a close margin of 280 votes. There was even a recount that ensured that Mayes was the rightful winner.

In the wake of Trump's 2020 election loss to Biden, Trump and Giuliani, who was his personal lawyer at the time, claimed, without any evidence, that the election was stolen from Trump via widespread voter fraud.

The Arizona indictment alleges that Giuliani, the other defendants, which include 11 individuals who acted as fake GOP electors for Arizona in 2020, and unindicted co-conspirators "schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the president to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona's voters." "Unindicted Coconspirator 1" is identifiable as Trump.

The indictment read: "This scheme would have deprived Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted."

Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Arizona attorney general's office, previously told CNN that Mayes' team made multiple attempts to serve Giuliani a summons, which serves as a formal notice that he has been criminally charged and must appear before a judge on May 21.

Michael Ragusa, Giuliani's head of security, told Newsweek via email on Saturday, "Mayor Giuliani would never run from anything or anybody. He is an American hero and a patriot. It is foolish to think he was hiding from getting a subpoena. Every day on his live shows he would announce his location."

Ragusa added that on Friday evening, "A process server waited until he came out of the party around midnight, walked up to him, gave him the subpoena, and the mayor said 'thank you' like a gentleman."

In another election case in Georgia, Trump, Giuliani and 17 other defendants were indicted in August 2023 for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Trump and Giuliani have both pleaded not guilty in that case.

Meanwhile, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023, just days after a jury ordered him to pay $148 million for defaming two former Georgia election workers. The former mayor wrongly accused Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, of committing election fraud during the 2020 election while counting ballots in Fulton County, Georgia.

Update 5/19/24, 10:29 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Goodman.