Giuliani Talks About Selling $2 Million Pardons And Splitting Proceeds With Trump, Accuser Claims

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Donald Trump speaks with Rudy Giuliani after a meeting at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster Township, NJ on Nov. 20, 2016.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

A woman suing Rudy Giuliani says the former New York City mayor talked about selling a presidential pardon for $2 million and splitting the money with Donald Trump. The accuser, Noelle Dunphy, made claims as part of a lawsuit that Giuliani hired her, forced her into sexual activities, failed to pay her salary and then fired her.

He told Ms. Dunphy that he can refer individuals seeking pardons to him, as long as they don’t go through the normal channels of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, the complaint says, because letters going to that office will be subject to on disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

A Trump representative, Natalie Harp, reacted with a two-word statement: FAKE NEWS!

Giuliani responded to the lawsuit with accusations of his own. Mayor Rudy Giuliani unequivocally denied the allegations Ms. Dunphy, and every news outlet covering this story should include the fact that a former partner accused her of being an escort who seduced wealthy men, said Ted Goodman, a Giuliani adviser.

Dunphy’s attorney, Justin Kelton, responded. Mr. Giuliani is not the first powerful man accused of sexually abusing subjects who has tried to discredit his accuser in a discredited game of blaming the victim, he said in a statement. He will have to answer the materials and recorded statements that will be presented at the trial.

The pay-for-pardons accusation follows a January 2021 report from the New York Times, which said a convicted former CIA officer was told Giuliani could help broker a pardon for $2 million. At the time, Giuliani took issue with that claim. The story said there was no evidence yet indicating offers to pay Trump personally.

Dunphys’ complaint, filed Monday, includes additional information Giuliani allegedly shared about his own business dealings. Giuliani told Dunphy he was making about $10 million a year from activities including delivering speeches and working with various clients, according to the suit.

He promised Dunphy a $1 million annual salary to serve as director of business development and executive assistant, the suit said. The complaint alleges that he asked her to work in secret and delay receiving payment until Giuliani completed divorce proceedings with his ex-husband, who he claimed was closely monitoring his cash flow.

In the lawsuit, Dunphy said his work with Giuliani gave him a close look at his business activities, which involved a mix of high-stakes politics and big-money business. On Feb. 7, 2019, more than a year before the 2020 election, Giuliani allegedly told Dunphy about a plan for Trump to claim victory regardless of whether he actually won the race, blaming a potential loss on fraud of the voter. That same day, the suit says, Dunphy listened in on a phone conversation about a $72 billion business deal in China.

Dunphy said he worked for Giuliani for two years, receiving about $12,000 in cash and various expense reimbursements during that time, leaving him short $1.988 million. He is seeking at least $10 million in the lawsuit.

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