Rudy Giuliani suspended from radio station WABC, talk show canceled

Rudy Giuliani was suspended from WABC radio on Friday and his show was canceled, according to station owner John Catsimatidis.

Catsimatidis, a billionaire and major GOP donor, told NBC News that Giuliani had been warned twice by network management over his on-air comments questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 elections questioned.

The New York Times first reported Giuliani’s suspension and show cancellation.

In a letter addressed to Giuliani and obtained by NBC News, Catsimatidis said that Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, is “prohibited from engaging in discussions related to the 2020 presidential election on his WABC programs.”

“These specific issues include, but are not limited to, the legitimacy of the election results, allegations of fraud by election officials, and your personal grievances related to these allegations,” Catsimatidis wrote in Thursday’s letter.

The letter cited a recent news article about two Georgia election workers who were awarded $148 million in damages last year in a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani and who again accuse him of making false statements.

“You are now again stating that there was fraud. You must not do this on our airwaves. This is a clear condition of your continued relationship with WABC. We do not condone these actions and do not wish to face the consequences of their behavior under any circumstances,” Catsimatidis wrote.

The cancellation of the former New York mayor’s show was not planned in advance, Catsimatidis told NBC News, adding that he “feels very bad because he is still America’s mayor, but we have to know where to draw the line.” have to pull.”

Giuliani criticized WABC’s actions in a statement Friday.

“This policy is a clear violation of free speech,” Giuliani said, arguing he was not previously informed of restrictions.

“Obviously I was never informed of such a policy, and even if there was one, it was violated so often that it could not be taken seriously,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani is facing charges in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia and Arizona. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Georgia but has not yet entered a plea in Arizona.

His suspension from WABC comes after some news organizations faced lawsuits from voting machine manufacturers over false statements about the 2020 election and the integrity of its results.

Last month, Smartmatic settled its defamation lawsuit against One America News Network out of court. In 2023, Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems agreed to a $787.5 million settlement related to a 2021 lawsuit that alleged the voting machine manufacturer was targeted by hosts and guests on Fox News and Fox Business has been defamed.