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

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

“He told Ms. Dunphy that she could refer individuals seeking pardons to him, so long as they did not go through ‘the normal channels’ of the Office of the Pardon Attorney,” the complaint says, “because correspondence going to that office would be subject to 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 an accusation of his own. “Mayor Rudy Giuliani unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms. Dunphy, and every news outlet covering this story must include the fact that an ex-partner accused her of being ‘an escort that fleeces wealthy men,’” said Ted Goodman, a Giuliani advisor.

Dunphy lawyer Justin Kelton hit back. “Mr. Giuliani is not the first powerful man accused of sexual abuse towards subordinates who attempts to smear his accuser in a discredited game of blame the victim,” he said in a statement. “He will have to answer to materials and recorded statements that will be presented at trial.”

The pay-for-pardons accusation follows January 2021 reporting from the New York Times, which said a convicted former C.I.A. official was told that Giuliani could help deliver a pardon for $2 million. At the time, Giuliani took issue with that claim. The story said no evidence had yet come to light indicating offers to pay Trump personally.

Dunphy’s complaint, filed Monday, includes additional information that Giuliani purportedly shared about his own business dealings. Giuliani told Dunphy that he had earned 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 a director of business development and executive assistant, the suit says. The complaint says that he demanded she work in secret and defer receiving payment until Giuliani wrapped up divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, whom he claimed was keeping close tabs on his cash flow.

In the lawsuit, Dunphy says her work with Giuliani gave her an up-close view of 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 “voter fraud.” The same day, the suit says, Dunphy listened in on a phone conversation about a $72 billion business deal in China.

Dunphy claims she worked for Giuliani for two years, receiving roughly $12,000 in cash and various expense reimbursements over that period, leaving her short $1.988 million. She is asking for at least $10 million in the lawsuit.