Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro suggested on Tuesday that former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani's performance in court was "sad to watch."
Shapiro, a Democrat, told CNN's Chris Cuomo that Giuliani had descended into "lunacy and conspiracy theory and fearmongering" during his testimony. The Republican, who is President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, had been granted permission to plead before the court on behalf of the Trump campaign.
Giuliani made his name as an attorney in New York before being elected mayor in 1993 but records suggest that he hadn't entered an appearance at a federal court in 28 years.
The Trump campaign is seeking to prevent certification of Pennsylvania's election results in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania as it continues to make unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
On Cuomo Prime Time, Shapiro said he doubted the case would succeed.
"It will not work to overturn the will of the people in Pennsylvania," he said.
Shapiro went on to discuss Giuliani's role in the case and expressed disappointment with the man who was once known as "America's Mayor" for his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"It's sad. It is sad to watch someone who America looked to in a time of need descend into this type of lunacy and conspiracy theory and fearmongering," Shapiro said.
"I see a man who clearly forgot what he learned in law school," Shapiro said. "And I see a man who's got absolutely no evidence to back up the ridiculous claims that his client makes on Twitter every day."
Giuliani delivered a 30-minute opening statement before U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann on Tuesday. His submission and responses to the judge's questions garnered criticism on social media and, more importantly, from opposing counsel.
"The best description of this situation is it's a widespread, nationwide voter fraud," Giuliani said, according to Politico. "This is a part of the reason I'm here, Your Honor, because it is not an isolated case."
However, Giuliani admitted under questioning that he was not arguing a voter fraud case. The lawsuit in fact relates to election procedures that were not uniform across the state of Pennsylvania.
"I sat there dumbfounded because the story presented by Mr Giuliani bore no relationship to the actual complaint in the case," Mark Aronchick, a lawyer representing several counties that the Trump campaign is suing, told MSNBC.
Giuliani's surprising decision to argue in court may be related to the fact that the lawyers previously representing the Trump campaign withdrew from the case. They were replaced by Marc Scaringi, who was named as one of Giuliani's co-counsels in his court filing.
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