Giuliani appears to defend sharing a doctored Pelosi video - POLITICO

Rudy Giuliani on Friday appeared to defend sharing a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slurring her words, tweeting that the California Democrat should take back an insult she hurled at President Donald Trump the day before.

“Nancy Pelosi wants an apology for a caricature exaggerating her already halting speech pattern,” Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, wrote online. “First she should withdraw her charge which hurts our entire nation when she says the President needs an ‘intervention. ‘People who live in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones.’”

Story Continued Below

The former New York mayor on Thursday evening amplified on Twitter a manipulated version of Pelosi’s remarks at a conference earlier in the week. The clip, which has disseminated across social media amid an escalating personal feud between the speaker and the president, subtly slows Pelosi’s speech in a manner that suggests she is physically impaired.

"What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi? Her speech pattern is bizarre,” Giuliani tweeted Thursday when he posted the footage. He later deleted the message.

Earlier Friday morning, Giuliani appeared to offer Pelosi an apology, tweeting a GIF of professional basketball players and a message that read: “ivesssapology for a video which is allegedly is a caricature of an otherwise halting speech pattern, she should first stop, and apologize for, saying the President needs an ‘intervention. Are.”

Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, mocked Giuliani’s incoherent tweet, reposting it and writing online: “No further comment needed.”

The proliferation of the altered videos comes as Trump and Pelosi have exchanged increasingly bitter barbs in recent days — with Pelosi telling reporters Thursday that she wishes the president’s family and aides would stage “an intervention for the good of the country,” and Trump later declaring the speaker “a mess” who has “lost it” at an official White House event.

On Thursday evening, the president also sought to perpetuate ridicule of Pelosi, tweeting a video of the speaker's halting speech pattern during a news conference in the Capitol.

“PELOSI STAMMERS THROUGH NEWS CONFERENCE,” Trump captioned the clip.