Even months after the 2020 election, former Fulton County election worker Shaye Moss said, she and her family were stung by false statements spread by Rudy Giuliani regarding the presidential vote in Georgia.
Giuliani is on trial this week as a jury decides how much he owes Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, in damages after the former New York City mayor was found liable of defamation for spreading false information about the women’s work counting ballots in Georgia. Giuliani, who was working as former President Donald Trump’s legal counsel at the time, repeatedly claimed during the aftermath of the 2020 election that the mother-daughter duo committed election fraud while working for Fulton County.
While testifying in Washington, D.C., court on Tuesday, Moss shared that in addition to her family being subjected to threats and attacks due to the false claims, her future employment opportunities were hindered. In mid-2021, Moss told the jury, she applied for a job at Chick-fil-A restaurant, and was excited when she landed an interview.
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“I was dressed up. I had my notebook with my resume,” Moss said of the interview, according to a report by ABC News. “I was excited, I was ready.”
Moss told the jury that the interview went “great,” and that she had encouraged herself beforehand that she was willing to “start at the bottom” in a new field in order to work her way up.
At the end of the interview, however, the employee with whom she met showed her an article on his computer containing an image of her face and the word “traitor” on it. Moss’ interviewer proceeded to ask her, “Is this you? Is this true?”
“I just tuned it out,” Moss told the jury. “I was so shocked. I was so embarrassed … I just had to leave. I just left”
Moss added that she became fearful during the exchange after her interviewer had told her that other people could hear her answers, adding, “We’re not in here alone,” according to a report from Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney.
Newsweek reached out to Chick-fil-A’s press office via email for comment Tuesday.
This week’s trial will determine how much Giuliani owes Moss and Freeman in damages for spreading attacks about their work. A judge already ruled that the ex-Trump lawyer is liable for defamation.
Moss also told the jury on Tuesday about how she and her family were subjected to attacks in the months following the 2020 presidential election, including when people barged into her grandmother’s home to make a “citizen’s arrest,” reported Cheney.
When asked if Giuliani has ever apologized for spreading attacks, Moss answered, “No.”
Newsweek also on Tuesday reached out to Giuliani’s lawyer, Joe Sibley, for comment via email.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.