Rudy Giuliani to appear at contempt hearing over failure to surrender assets

Rudy Giuliani speaks to reporters as he leaves the federal courthouse in New York (AP/Seth Wenig)

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Rudy Giuliani to appear in court in early January to face claims that he should be held in contempt for failing to turn over assets including a New York apartment lease and a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt to two Georgia election poll workers who won a libel case against him.

Judge Lewis J Liman in Manhattan signed the order calling for the former New York City mayor and onetime personal lawyer to US president-elect Donald Trump to appear before him on January 3.