MUST READ: The Office I Left Giuliani
December 17, 2007
Rudy Giuliani, the serial-exaggerator, strikes again. John S. Martin Jr., who preceded Giuliani as the U.S. Attorney, wrote a blistering op-ed in The New York Times today disputing Rudy's claims that he "turned around" the U.S. Attorney's office in New York. Martin said that claim "is not only untrue, it is an insult to the outstanding men and women who have served in that office over the last 50 years." In fact, Rudy inherited "the premier United States attorney's office in the country" and "did not have to turn the prosecutor's office around; he simply had to keep it moving forward."
Martin also points out Giuliani exaggerated his much-touted record of prosecuting mob families. The F.B.I's New York office-- and not Rudy Giuliani-- actually "came up with the idea of prosecuting the leaders of each of the major crime families in a single case under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act." By the time Rudy was sworn into office, the operation already was up and running.
Rudy's exaggerations about his resume come after he has run TV ads specifically citing his U.S. Attorney experience. Martin wrote that it is "unfortunate" that Giuliani "feels he must denigrate the accomplishments of others to advance his own political interests."
Below are excerpts from his column and click here to read the entire article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/opinion/17martin.html?ref=opinion
The New York Times
December 17, 2007
The Office I Left Giuliani
By John S. Martin Jr.
"ON "Meet the Press" a week ago, Rudolph W. Giuliani attempted to deflect criticism of his close relationship with his former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, by saying that his misjudgment of Mr. Kerik had to be weighed against his other accomplishments. "How can I not have pretty good judgment about the people who work for me and not been able to turn around the United States attorney's office?" he asked. But Mr. Giuliani's claim to have turned around the Manhattan United States attorney's office is not only untrue, it is an insult to the outstanding men and women who have served in that office over the last 50 years."
"Mr. Giuliani claims that he came up with the idea of prosecuting the leaders of each of the major crime families in a single case under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. While that may be his perception, the idea was first broached by the head of the criminal section of the F.B.I.'s New York office in a meeting with me and my staff approximately a year before Mr. Giuliani took office. By the time he was sworn in, the office was laying the groundwork for that case and had in place wiretaps on three of the five organized-crime families in New York City."
"There is no question that Mr. Giuliani is an able lawyer. It is unfortunate, however, that he feels he must denigrate the accomplishments of others to advance his own political interests. What has made the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York an example of what a great prosecutor's office should be is its tradition of hiring the best lawyers available, without regard to party affiliation, and allowing them to do their job free from political influence. Mr. Giuliani did not have to turn the prosecutor's office around; he simply had to keep it moving forward."
