Decision ‘08

Lest I Be Accused…

…of sugarcoating and pimping for a candidate I am undeniably fond of, today wasn’t the best of days for Rudy G. as his relationship with Bernie Kerik took center stage. Typical of the fairly wide coverage is this piece in the NY Times:

Rudolph W. Giuliani told a grand jury that his former chief investigator remembered having briefed him on some aspects of Bernard B. Kerik’s relationship with a company suspected of ties to organized crime before Mr. Kerik’s appointment as New York City police commissioner, according to court records.

Mr. Giuliani, testifying last year under oath before a Bronx grand jury investigating Mr. Kerik, said he had no memory of the briefing, but he did not dispute that it had taken place, according to a transcript of his testimony.

Mr. Giuliani’s testimony amounts to a significantly new version of what information was probably before him in the summer of 2000 as he was debating Mr. Kerik’s appointment as the city’s top law enforcement officer. Mr. Giuliani had previously said that he had never been told of Mr. Kerik’s entanglement with the company before promoting him to the police job or later supporting his failed bid to be the nation’s homeland security secretary.

In his testimony, given in April 2006, Mr. Giuliani indicated that he must have simply forgotten that he had been briefed on one or more occasions as part of the background investigation of Mr. Kerik before his appointment to the police post.

He said he learned only in late 2004 that the briefing or briefings had occurred, after the city’s investigation commissioner reviewed his own records from 2000. To this day, Mr. Giuliani testified, he has no specific recollection of any briefing or the details of what he was told. But he said he felt comforted because the chief investigator had cleared Mr. Kerik to be promoted.

“He testified fully and cooperatively,” a statement from Mr. Giuliani’s consulting firm said of the former mayor’s grand jury appearance. The statement added: “Mayor Giuliani has admitted it was a mistake to recommend Bernie Kerik for D.H.S. and he has assumed responsibility for it.”

Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty last summer to improperly allowing the company, Interstate Industrial Corporation, or its subsidiaries, to do $165,000 worth of free renovations on his Bronx apartment in late 1999 and 2000. The company has denied paying for the work, and has disputed any association with organized crime. But the two brothers who run it have been indicted in the Bronx on charges they lied under oath about their dealings with Mr. Kerik.

There is no evidence that Mr. Giuliani knew about the apartment renovation before promoting Mr. Kerik to police commissioner. But the top investigator who briefed Mr. Giuliani in 2000, the transcript shows, was aware that Mr. Kerik’s brother and a close friend had been hired by an affiliate of the company, which for years had been struggling to secure a city license.

For Mr. Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president and who has done well in early polls, his history with Mr. Kerik looms as a likely issue in the campaign. His own aides have anticipated that questions are likely to arise about Mr. Giuliani’s judgment in, among other things, promoting Mr. Kerik for one of the country’s most important national security posts.

Now, Mr. Giuliani, whose private company provides background checks for companies as part of its services, may have to explain his response to the information that was provided to him in 2000.

His company’s statement yesterday said that Mr. Giuliani was not concerned that issues surrounding Mr. Kerik would become a liability to his presidential campaign.

The transcript of Mr. Giuliani’s testimony was not given to The New York Times by any rival campaign.

Hmmm…that last sentence seems pretty carefully parsed, doesn’t it? “The transcript” was not provided by a rival campaign, but what about the direction of the story and where to get it?

Nevertheless, it’s a real issue, and one Rudy will have to address (and he knows it). It’s certainly not the type of thing that can derail a candidacy, but the questions raised here will be raised again.

Rudy’s no saint - we all know that…the question is whether his sometimes questionable actions in the past with family, friends, and temperament override his undeniable aura of leadership. You know my answer, but time will tell if I’m the exception or the rule…

3 Responses to “Lest I Be Accused…”

1 Sean P Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
His relationship with Kerik is one of the biggest paradoxes of his Mayoralty. This is the man who prosecuted the Gambino and Genovese crime families as a prosecutor and, as mayor, drove the mob out of the garbage business and the Fulton Fish market.

Its important to remember that Kerik was appointed Police Commissioner at a time where Giuliani was in a politically difficult situation. He was still campaigning for the US Senate seat and was facing a barrage of criticism for several police shooting incidents. He needed to appoint someone competent as police chief, and someone who was respected by the rank and file and the press, and fast, and Kerik was probably the only one who fit the bill.

By the way, this isn’t a defense of the decision (it was an error of judgment), only an explaination as to why I don’t think it will repeat itself.
2 Jack Rich Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 12:24 pm
I endorse what Sean P wrote. Rudy is a leader when, and where, it counts. At the very least, he will learn from his mistakes.

By the way: It is a credit to his leading position in the polls that the MSM is gunning for him.

Leave you with this thought: Rudy and Fred Thompson as the GOP ticket. As the song goes, “Rudy can’t fail…”
3 backgroundcheckpro Says:
May 8th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I also think that the Kerik issue was a simple case of bad judgment driven by expediency. I’m sure Rudy will be more careful now with the Presidency at take.

Don’t stop pimping Rudy, he’s certainly the most electable candidate we have at the moment. Team him up with Fred and I think that duo can comfortably brush aside all potential comers from the lefties. Both have a lot of “curb appeal” with potential swing voters.