PASCRELL SEEKS DISBARMENT OF GIULIANI, 22 TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAWYERS

Complaints filed with AZ, MI, NV, NY, PA bar authorities seek legal sanctions against attorneys aiding Trump’s attempt to steal election

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today filed letters with the legal bar authorities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania, seeking the disbarment of Rudolph Giuliani and 22 other lawyers representing Donald Trump in his attempts to overturn the election and demolish democracy. This was first announced by @PascrellForNJ on Twitter.

“We live together in extraordinary and increasingly dangerous national circumstances. At present, our sitting President has refused to accept the outcome of our national election and is attacking the integrity of our electoral system to keep himself in power. The pattern of behavior by these individuals to effectuate Mr. Trump’s sinister arson is a danger not just to our legal system but is also unprecedented in our national life. In carrying out that perversion, they have clearly violated the [] Rules of Professional Conduct they swore to uphold and should face the severest sanction your body can mete out: revocation of their law licensures,” Pascrell writes the legal disciplinary authorities in five states.

Copies of Congressman Pascrell’s letters to the bar disciplinary authorities of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania, are available in the attached hyperlinks.

The text of Pascrell’s letter to the Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania is provided below.

November 20, 2020

The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

District I

1601 Market Street, Suite 3320

Philadelphia, PA 19103

District II

820 Adams Avenue, Suite 170

Trooper, PA 19403

District III

601 Commonwealth Avenue

Suite 5800, P.O. Box 62675

Harrisburg, PA 17106-2675

District IV

437 Grant Street, Suite 1300

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

To Whom It May Concern:

I write you today to file a complaint against Marc A. Scaringi (Pennsylvania Bar No. 88346) and Brian C. Caffrey (Bar No. 42667) of the law firm Scaringi Law (2000 Linglestown Road, Suite 106, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110); Ronald L. Hicks, Jr. (Bar No. 49520) and Carolyn B. McGee (Bar No. 207715) of the law firm Porter Wright (6 PPG Place, 3d Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222); Linda A. Kerns (Pennsylvania Bar No. 84495) of the law offices of Linda A. Kerns, LLC (1420 Locust Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia Pennsylvania); Joseph Pizzo (Bar No. 63268) and Kenneth Ferris (Bar No. 92335) of the law firm Joseph Pizzo and Associates, LLC (7  Neshaminy Interplex Suite 200 Trevose, Pennsylvania 19053); and Joseph Goldstein (Bar No. 201627) and Britain Henry (Bar No. 314279) of the law firm Goldstein Law Partners, LLC (11 Church Road, Hatfield Pennsylvania 19440). In their capacity as attorneys representing the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, these individuals have filed frivolous lawsuits and used your state’s courts to assault public confidence in our nation’s electoral system, violating the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. Therefore, I request your office commence an immediate investigation of their actions and consider sanctions for their conduct up to and including revocation of their licenses to practice law in your jurisdiction.

As of today, President-elect Joe Biden has won the commonwealth of Pennsylvania by 81,487 votes, or approximately 1.18 percent,^[i] an outcome there is virtually no chance of reversing by a recount. Despite the difficult circumstances of this pandemic, Pennsylvania’s administration of the election was strong and there is no evidence of systematic malfeasance or fraud. Nevertheless, these individuals have filed absurd lawsuits seeking to overturn the will of Pennsylvania’s voters and caused irreversible damage to public trust in the fair administration of our elections.

The Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct necessarily govern the actions of your licensed attorneys. Mr. Scaringi, Mr. Caffrey, Mr. Hicks, Ms. McGee, Ms. Kerns, Mr. Pizzo, Mr. Ferris, Mr. Goldstein, and Mr. Henry may have violated Rule of Professional Conduct 3.1 which requires that “[a] lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law.”^[ii] These individuals may have also violated Rule 8.4(b) which posits that “[i]t is professional misconduct for a lawyer to…engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.”^[iii]

We live together in extraordinary and increasingly dangerous national circumstances. At present, our sitting President has refused to accept the outcome of our national election and is attacking the integrity of our electoral system to keep himself in power. The pattern of behavior by these individuals to effectuate Mr. Trump’s sinister arson is a danger not just to our legal system but is also unprecedented in our national life. In carrying out that perversion, they have clearly violated the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct they swore to uphold and should face the severest sanction your body can mete out: revocation of their law licensures. The holding of a law license is a sacred responsibility. You have an opportunity here to make a powerful statement in support of our democracy and deter future charlatans and miscreants from warping our legal and political systems for their own profit. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Bill Pascrell, Jr.

United States Congressman

^[i] https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

^[ii] See https://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/for-attorneys/rules/rule/3/the-rules-of-professional-conduct

^[iii] https://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/for-attorneys/rules/rule/3/the-rules-of-professional-conduct