Rudy Giuliani’s radio show on WABC was recently canceled, and he was suspended from the station due to his on-air comments questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election. The station owner, John Catsimatidis, cited concerns about Giuliani’s discussions surrounding election fraud and lawsuits related to the election results. Giuliani, who is former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, was warned twice by station management before the cancellation of his show. Catsimatidis mentioned a recent news article involving a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani by Georgia poll workers as one reason for the decision to suspend him.
Giuliani responded to WABC’s actions, calling the directive a violation of free speech. He argued that he had not been informed previously about any restrictions on his show’s topics. The former New York City mayor is currently facing charges in Georgia and Arizona related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Georgia and has not yet entered a plea in Arizona. Giuliani’s suspension from WABC comes as other news organizations have faced defamation lawsuits over false statements regarding the 2020 election and the integrity of its results.
Catsimatidis stated that the cancellation of Giuliani’s show was not preplanned, and he expressed regret over the decision. He described Giuliani as “America’s mayor” but emphasized the need to draw a line in terms of acceptable on-air content. The billionaire GOP donor highlighted concerns about the ramifications of Giuliani’s actions and the station’s unwillingness to condone them. The letter addressed to Giuliani from Catsimatidis outlined specific topics, including the legitimacy of the election results and allegations of fraud, that were off-limits for discussion on WABC.
Concerns about false statements and their potential legal consequences have been heightened in the wake of lawsuits between voting machine companies and news organizations. Smartmatic settled a defamation suit against One America News Network, while Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reached a settlement over similar claims. Giuliani’s suspension from WABC reflects a broader trend of accountability for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. News reporter Adam Reiss and politics reporter Zoë Richards of NBC News provided coverage of the incident involving Giuliani and his show’s cancelation. Sarah Fitzpatrick also contributed reporting on the matter.
