Washington Post: It's Giuliani Time
Back in February, I slammed the Washington Post for its reporting on Bill Clinton's speaking fees and the implication that his new-found wealth would unfairly fuel his wife's 2008 presidential campaign. In contrast, the Post was largely silent on the million in speaking and consulting fees reaped by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Until today.
In a massive report in today's edition, the Washington Post takes apart the influence-peddling, behind-the-scenes money machine that is Rudy Giuliani's firm, Giuliani Partners. WaPo shows how the Republican mayor built his company even before leaving office, staffing it with close aides of dubious ethical standing such as the disgraced Bernie Kerik. The Post also details how Giuliani intervened for Purdue Pharma with the DEA over its dangerous Oxycontin fraud, bilked Mexico City out of millions for a bogus anti-crime initiative, and skimmed huge sums from firms facing bankruptcy.
The introduction sets the stage:
On Dec. 7, 2001, nearly three months after the terrorist attack that had made him a national hero and a little over three weeks before he would leave office, New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani took the first official step toward making himself rich...
...Over the next five years, Giuliani Partners earned more than $100 million, according to a knowledgeable source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the firm's financial information is private. And that success helped transform the Republican considered the front-runner for his party's 2008 presidential nomination from a moderately well-off public servant into a globe-trotting consultant whose net worth is estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars...
Famously loyal, Giuliani chose as his partners longtime associates, including a former police commissioner later convicted of corruption, a former FBI executive who admitted taking artifacts from Ground Zero and a former Roman Catholic priest accused of covering up sexual abuse in the church.
Giuliani, grounded in the intricately connected world of New York politics, has been more than adept at making the system work for his clients. They have included a pharmaceutical company that, with Giuliani's help, resolved a lengthy Drug Enforcement Administration investigation with only a fine; a confessed drug smuggler who hired Giuliani to ensure his security company could do business with the federal government; and the horse racing industry, eager to recover public confidence after a betting scandal.
Clients of Giuliani Partners are required to sign confidentiality agreements, so they do not comment about the work they receive or how much they are paying for it. Though now running for president, Giuliani refuses to identify his clients, disclose his compensation or reveal any details about Giuliani Partners. He also declined to be interviewed about the firm.
For the full story, see "In Private Sector, Giuliani Parlayed Fame Into Wealth."
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