Rudy Giuliani pranked on Cameo and tricked into praising journalists

Donald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani has been tricked on Cameo into praising journalists and activists that investigated one of his former clients.

For a cool $400, Giuliani made a video giving a shout out to people who investigated Derwick Associates, seemingly delivering the warm message on behalf of the energy company.

According to The New York Intelligencer, he started the message by greeting “Angus, Cesar, Orlando, Alek, Thor, (and) Otto” - who appear to be Angus Berwick, an investigative journalist at Reuters, independent investigative journalists Cesar Batiz, Orlando Avendaño, and Alek Boyd, Thor Halvorssen, an anti-corruption activist who sued Derwick Associates in 2014, and Otto Reich, Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to Venezuela, who also sued the company.

He said:

“This is Rudy Giuliani, and the message they [Derwick Associates] want me to deliver is: The employees and the field staff of Derwick Associates want to thank you for your honesty and devotion, that you have fought for them for years and that, um, you’re very, very exceptionally dedicated.”

Giuliani represented the company when it faced allegations of money laundering and bribery in Florida. The suits were dismissed by US courts.

Giuliani, however, didn’t seem to remember his old rivals names and praised the message he had read out.

“I really wish somebody would send me a message like that! I think you can be very, very proud of it. It sounds like it comes from the heart, and it comes from having done very hard work,” Giuliani said. “I wish I knew more about it, I could say more, but that’s the message they gave me to deliver to you. And, again, I congratulate you on having done such fine work for the people that appreciate you so much!”

While it is currently unclear who commissioned the video, a user called “Angus” posted a review in mock praise of Giuliani on the lawyer’s Cameo page, which read: “5 stars! So incredibly grateful to Rudy Giuliani for so artlessly agreeing to praise the warriors in the Derwick Associates case. It’s unreal and fantastic that a seasoned prosecutor and anti-corruption advocate praises the individuals who stood against the misdeeds of the Derwick founders.”

“Those mentioned in the message will forever find amusement that the personal lawyer of POTUS and lawyer for Betancourt gave them a shout out,” the review added.

Awkward.