Rudy Giuliani is suing Joe Biden, saying the president tarnished his 'unimpeachable character' by calling him a 'Russian pawn' in 2020

• Rudy Giuliani is suing Joe Biden, accusing the president of defaming him three years ago.
• The suit alleges Biden harmed Giuliani's reputation by calling him a "Russian pawn" in October 2020.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has filed a defamation lawsuit against President Joe Biden, alleging that the commander-in-chief tarnished his "unimpeachable character" by calling him a "Russian pawn" during an October 2020 presidential debate.

In a new lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Merrimack Superior Court in the state of New Hampshire, Giuliani's lawyers contend that Biden defamed Giuliani twice during a televised debate with President Donald Trump on October 22, 2020, when Biden was a candidate seeking the White House.

The lawsuit alleges that at two points during the debate, Biden falsely accused Giuliani of being a "Russian pawn," and dismissed Giuliani's criticisms of his son Hunter's laptop, claiming that the ex-mayor believed "a bunch of garbage."

"Defendant Biden knew that the preceding statement about the laptop and asserting that the Plaintiff lied about the content of the laptop were untrue," the lawsuit alleges, while also charging that now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken had sought to discredit Giuliani regarding Hunter Biden's laptop.

The suit argues that Biden's comments have damaged Giuliani's reputation, and continue to do so, preventing him from holding "positions that require credibility, trust, decision-making, and independence."

Giuliani's attorneys then proceeded to list Giuliani's career accomplishments as proof of his positive reputation, referencing his "sterling and unimpeachable character."

"For over fifty years, the Plaintiff has provided public and professional service for and on behalf of the American people that only can be regarded as historic," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit went on to detail his decades-long legal career, notably his stint as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted some of the highest-profile cases in the country.

Giuliani also pointed to his two terms as New York City's mayor, saying that he has also been called "America's Mayor" — a label that some assigned to him after his response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

However, in recent years, Giuliani's public actions and statements have been closely tethered to the political fortunes of Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Biden and has baselessly claimed since that he was the true victor of the contest.

In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, Giuliani — who at the time was Trump's personal attorney — traveled to key swing states that included Arizona and Georgia in an attempt to pressure GOP governors and lawmakers to overturn Biden's respective victories in those states.

Last month, Giuliani was sued by his former attorney for nearly $1.4 million over what he said was money owed after defending the former mayor in election interference probes connected to the 2020 election.

"It's a real shame when lawyers do things like this, and all I will say is that their bill is way in excess to anything approaching legitimate fees," Giuliani told Insider in a statement at the time.

Giuliani once commanded large speaking fees after his years in New York City Hall.

But Giuliani's attorneys in August said that the former mayor was now "having financial difficulties," despite him not disclosing the full extent of his cash flow issues to the court.