Rudy Giuliani says he 'can't buy food' after Georgia election workers defamation judgment

NEW YORK CITY - Former New York Mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani says he's struggling after a judge ordered him to quickly turn over his prized assets to two Fulton County election workers as part of a $148 million defamation judgment.

Judge Lewis J. Liman ordered Giuliani last week to hand over the assets , which include his $5 million Upper East Side apartment, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, dozens of luxury watches and other valuables.

Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, say Giuliani has mostly dodged turning over assets by an Oct. 29 deadline, alleging that they visited his Manhattan apartment and found it had been cleared out weeks earlier .

After the hearing in Manhattan federal court, Giuliani said he was the victim of a "political vendetta" and he was "pretty sure" the judgment could be reversed.

"This is a case of political persecution," he told reporters, citing the size of what he described as a punitive judgment. "There isn't a person (who) doesn't know the judgment is ridiculous."

His lawyers have so far argued unsuccessfully that Giuliani should not be forced to turn over his belongings while he appeals the judgment.

Writing on the social media platform X on Tuesday, Giuliani shared a link to a fundraiser for his legal representation, describing the judge and lawyers for Freeman and Moss as "evil people."

"They have seized all my money which wasn't much," he wrote. "I can't buy food."

The online fundraiser has already raised more than $120,000 of its $250,000 goal.

Giuliani was found liable for defamation for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud as he pushed Trump's unsubstantiated election fraud allegations during the 2020 campaign.

The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani accused the two of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines.

STORY: President-elect Donald Trump's Republican Party will control both houses of Congress when he takes office in January. Republicans had already secured a majority in the U.S. Senate, and Decision Desk HQ on Monday projected they would hold at least 218 seats in the House of Representatives, with eight races yet to be called in last Tuesday's election. The red sweep will enable Trump to push an agenda slashing taxes and shrinking the federal government. His power will also be backed by a Supreme Court with a 6-3 conservative majority. The new Congress convenes on Jan. 3, before Trump takes office on the 20th. Sources also said on Monday that Trump has selected U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state. Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on the shortlist for the post. In the past he has advocated for a muscular foreign policy to deal with America's geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba. Those views have often contradicted Trump, who has accused past U.S. presidents of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy. However, Rubio has softened some of his stances over the last several years to align more closely with Trump. The 53-year-old would be the first Latino to serve as America's top diplomat. By selecting Rubio, Trump may help consolidate gains with Latino voters made in the presidential election last week by sending a clear message that they have a place at the highest levels of his administration.