Posted on 07/10/2007 8:49:41 PM PDT by ellery
As Jonathan Martin points out, there's a pattern emerging of top Giuliani supporters leaving the campaign, whether for better gigs or because of scandal. Today, we learn that Sen. David Vitter (La.) is one of the names on the so-called D.C. Madam's client list.
Vitter was the first senator to endorse Giuliani and serves as his Southern Regional campaign chair. Back in March, National Journal's Hotline expressed the sentiment of many: "Let's give Giuliani his due: having Vitter will help whip support among Southern conservatives, and qualifies, to us at least, as a major and important endorsement."
Indeed, a nod from Vitter gave Rudy a bit of cover from southern conservatives worried about voting for a social liberal from New York. However this plays out for Vitter, who is not up for reelection, it puts Giuliani in a difficult spot.
He appointed high school dropout and former driver Bernard Kerik to NYC Police Commissioner and pushed him for Homeland Security Chief. Kerik turned out to be corrupt and reportedly mob-connected. Giuliani later testified that he had been briefed on Kerik's lawbreaking -- yet he pushed him for the top anti-terrorism post in the country, and then went into business with him.
For NYC Chancellor of Education, Giuliani pushed Leon Goldstein, who later was forced to withdraw his candidacy in disgrace because of allegations that he lied about his qualifications.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DB1539F93BA1575AC0A963958260
In 1995, Giuliani pushed Leonard Piccoli to an executive director job in NYC's public hospitals organization, despite the fact that Piccoli had been forced to resign from the same job in 1985 due to alleged substantial contracts and ethics violations.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC1739F93AA25756C0A963958260
One of Giuliani's closest political allies in NYC, Guy Velella, pled guilty to and served time for taking bribes in return for awarding government contracts.
''I endorsed him, I support him, I've worked with him, I know what a good job he's done for New York City and for the Bronx,'' Mr. Giuliani said. The mayor said he thought the disclosures about the criminal investigation would not seriously damage the senator.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E3DF1639F930A35752C1A9669C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0420,robbins,53585,5.html
Giuliani's Probation Commissioner Raul Russi, and Deputy Probation Commissioner Louis Gelormino, later were dismissed from their jobs under Bloomberg because of their involvement in Velella's early release from jail.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10914FA355F0C708DDDA90994DC404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e
After Ray Harding, head of NYC's Liberal Party, endorsed Giuliani, Giuliani appointed his son Russell Harding to head NYC's Housing Development Corporation -- even though Russell Harding was a college dropout with no experience in housing or finance (Giuliani chose a second son, Robert, as NYC's budget director, and later promoted him to deputy mayor). Russell Harding later pled guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands in public funds, and to possessing child pornography.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0512,robbins2,62314,5.html
The Russell case brought down another of Giuliani's top appointees. Giuliani appointed Richard Roberts (son-in-law of Vernon Jordan) as NYC Housing Commissioner, and Chairman of the Health and Hospitals Corporation; Roberts was later convicted of perjury related to a $38,000 SUV Russell Harding bought him with city funds.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0436,robbins2,56554,5.html
Giuliani appointed his lifelong friend, Louis Carbonetti, Commissioner of NYC's Community Assistance Unit. Carbonetti had to resign when news came out that he had allegedly failed to disclose more than $100,000 in business debts and back taxes and held two driver's licenses with slightly different names at the same time. He pleaded guilty in 2004 to perjury. Carbonetti's son, Anthony Carbonetti, was Giuliani's chief of staff and is now his senior political adviser.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-lijani255229113may25,0,729089.story?coll=ny-lipolitics-headlines
Giuliani's friend Alan Placa was hired on at Giuliani Partners after Placa, a Long Island Priest, was barred from the ministry because of allegations of sexual abuse and using his role as a spiritual adviser to gain information from victims to strengthen the diocese's legal position.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=19106
When Giuliani promoted Kerik to Police Commissioner, he appointed William J. Fraser to replace him as Correction Commissioner. Fraser resigned in 2002 amid reports that he had paid Correction employees to work on his home, and had allegedly pushed them to work on Pataki's reelection campaign.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A13F73C5C0C748EDDA80994DA404482
Anthony Serra, a Giuliani campaign volunteer and high-ranking official in Giuliani's Dept. of Correction (in charge of all the jails on Riker's Island), resigned after being charged with stealing city property and ordering correction officers to renovate his home.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40913FB395B0C728DDDAC0894DB404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fR%2fRikers%20Island%20Prison%20Complex
In 1994, Giuliani appointed Anthony Schembri to Correction Commissioner. Shembri resigned a year later after disclosures that used a workday to make a paid speech in Atlantic City, had the city regularly pay overtime and tolls for department drivers on errands to Rye, N.Y., where he had been Police Commissioner, and broke the law by never establishing a residence in the City. Shcembri went on to head Florida's troubled Juvenile Justice Dept.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E0D71630F937A15752C1A962958260
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/13/Citrus/Colleagues__friends_h.shtml
Giuliani hired former Corrections Dept. Chief of Staff John Picciano at Giuliani Partners. Picciano, a close friend of Kerik's, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend and threatening her with his gun in 1998. But he was never arrested. According to Terrence Skinner, a retired corrections supervisor, "{Kerik} told me that I should basically pretend it never happened." Picciano left Giuliani Partners one day after Kerik abruptly resigned.
http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=19361&siteSection=1
Giuliani appointed Michael Carey, a son of former Gov. Hugh L. Carey, to head NYC's Economic Development Corp. According to a "scathing" audit covering the last 18 months of Giuliani's administration and the first six months of Bloomberg's, the organization was used as a "little bank account for the mayor's office" -- paying for mayoral aides' cars, lavish parties and out-of-town trips. For example, the audit states that it paid more than $11K for Carey's going-away party, and $7K for the going-away-party of Catherine Giuliani, the organization's chief of staff. It also bought at least 11 cars for the mayor's office during Giuliani's administration.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E2DC143FF933A25753C1A9659C8B63
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-8873007.html
Looks like Rudy has nailed down the escort service vote.
And the list grows.
Sad thing is, that list is just the tip of the iceberg. Scary how someone with a list much bigger than that can hold positions from local up to DOJ.
Funny how such an honest upstanding ex-prosecutor can be surrounded by so many criminal personalities, eh? Must simply be coincidence. No way anyone should be concerned about this. No one should expect someone running for president to be able to pick decent people to surround himself with. Roodee’s just a helpless victim being bamboozled by these evil geniuses.
You can always tell a man by the company he keeps.
A prosecutor who can’t tell the corrupt from the decent people. LOL! In reality he’s probably the last candidate who could beat Hitlery.
I wonder how many of the rich and powerful movers & shakers inside the Beltway have recently changed their phone numbers.
There were quite a few numbers that were no longer working on those docs released today. They will still trace back to the owners with the dates called on the phone lists.
How can I get a copy of the list?
On the bright side, apparently Rudy has made it easy for all of us to discern who is legally, ethically, and/or morally corrupt on the Republican aisle. All we have to do, if we go by history, is look at the ledger with his endorsements.
This will certainly save some time...
Heheh----Turdiani gets 1-2 points for saving us time.
OTOH, all the RINOS easily qualify in that category.
I love "guilt by associaiton." Don't you?
Will be interesting to see which Southerner will want to step up to the plate to give Rooty conservative cover.
Looks like Rooty is back to singing "Doo-Dah" a capella on his campaign swings through the deep South.
" O-o-o-o-h, de Camptown rathers thing dith thong---doo dah---doo dah."
Great lisp, Liz! ;-)
ROFL!
Thankth.
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