Rudy Giuliani’s legal troubles are taking their toll on his lifestyle as he’s being forced to cut down on expenses. The former personal lawyer for ex-president Donald Trump has laid off several staffers and independent contractors in the last few weeks, dramatically reducing the size of his personal entourage.
The ousted employees had been told that the former New York mayor was seeking to cut costs, according to one person familiar with the matter, Politico reports.
The disgraced attorney, who was recently raided by the FBI and faces an intensifying criminal probe, has enlisted a part-time driver, Eric Ryan, the son of his friend Maria Ryan But he no longer moves around Manhattan with the full complement of as many as five people he has kept around him in recent years, according to the report.
The report of Giuliani’s cash crunch comes after years of stories suggesting he might be having financial difficulties — or is at least seeking creative ways to make money as he manages his growing legal woes.
Since leaving public office, Giuliani’s sources of income have been somewhat opaque. He has served as an attorney for Greenberg Traurig, a powerhouse international law firm headquartered in New York. In 2018, he left the firm amid a dispute over his public defense of Trump. He has also done security and legal consulting for numerous entities, including foreign governments like Qatar and other high-profile clients ranging from Iranian opposition group MEK to a Ukrainian oligarch and a Turkish-Iranian gold trader wanted by the U.S. government.
In mid-November of last year, Giuliani had demanded $20,000 a day in legal fees in exchange for representing the ex-president as he contested the 2020 election. Trump reportedly refused to pay the former New York mayor’s legal bills because his election challenges didn’t work. The apparent breach with Giuliani has contributed to Giuliani’s financial woes.
