FACT CHECK: Rudy as a Reformer

Tonight, John McCain has picked Rudy Giuliani to give the keynote speech for his convention on "Reform" night. Here's Rudy's real record of reform:

CRONYISM AND CORRUPTION

Citing "Corruption, Favoritism and Cronyism," City Comptroller Referred Giuliani Welfare Contract Award to DA and Federal Investigators. City Comptroller Alan Hevesi rejected Giuliani's welfare to work contract awards to Maximus citing "corruption favoritism and cronyism." Hevesi even referred the contracts to the Manhattan District Attorney and federal investigators because of "corruption of the process." Maximus has ties to Giuliani, including a subcontract with Opportunity America, which is led by Richard Schwartz, a former Giuliani aide and its spokeswoman, Colleen Roche, is a former Giuliani press secretary. The contract would have paid Maximus more than the company had asked for. And records showed that Maximus was given a head start over other bidders - allowing the company to prepare its bid before competitors were even aware of the program. [New York Times, 2/3/00; New York Times, 2/4/00; New York Times, 3/23/00]

Giuliani Hired Family, Friends and Cronies for City Jobs. "…The Mayor has given jobs to campaign supporters and officials of the parties that backed him. He has hired at least three dozen members of his paid campaign staff, 16 district leaders from the Republican and Liberal Parties, assorted campaign volunteers, and relatives and in-laws of the Mayor himself or his political allies." [New York Times, 8/8/94]

Giuliani Appointees Had History Of Corruption. Russell Harding, the head of the Housing Development Corporation under Giuliani, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle, mail and wire fraud and possession of child pornography after he was accused of spending at least $400,000 in public funds on himself and friends - for a car, vacations to Hong Kong and Canada, magazine subscriptions and other items. Frederick J. Patrick, who held high-level posts in the New York City Correction Foundation during Giuliani's administration and who Giuliani later named commissioner of juvenile justice and deputy commissioner of community affairs in the Police Department, pleaded guilty in 2003 to looting the New York City Correction Foundation. Patrick, who spent the stolen money on collect calls he accepted from inmates, some of which officials have said involved phone sex, was sentenced in June 2004 to a year and day in federal prison. [AP, 3/15/05; New York Times, 8/4/06]

FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES

Giuliani Strongly Recommended Kerik to The White House. on at least two occasions Giuliani made a personal for Kerik to replace Tom Ridge as Seceretary of Homeland Security. Kerik, a longtime Giuliani aide currently faces a "16-count federal indictment" related to unethical . [CNN.com, 12/2/04; New York Times, 11/10/07]

BREAKING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW

Giuliani's 1997 Campaign Broke the Law and Was Fined Over $240,000 -- Second Largest in History of NYC Campaign Finance Board. In September 1997, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) found that Giuliani's mayoral campaign broke the city's campaign finance law and fined the Giuliani campaign $220,000. The CFB found that Giuliani's campaign accepted more than $300,000 in illegal contributions mostly from developers and other doing business with the city. The fine was the second largest levied by the Board since it was created in 1988. In October 1997, the CFB fined Giuliani's campaign an additional $23,490 for accepting additional contributions larger than city law permits. [New York Times, 9/19/97; New York Times, 10/24/97]

AUTHORITARIAN

Giuliani Has Long Record Of Tangling With Any Oversight. "The auditing incident illustrated another worrisome pattern, Giuliani's critics say: an aversion to oversight. The mayor had tangled with McCall for two years, ordering agencies to stop sharing information with the comptroller and kicking auditors out of two agencies. The court battle took place after the city ignored 17 subpoenas McCall issued to obtain records from six agencies." [Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 12/16/07]

Giuliani, With A History Of "Manipulating The Levers of Government," Will Push "The Expansions of the Executive Branch" Further. "As that drama was unfolding, however, so was a quieter story, driven by Giuliani's instinct and capacity for manipulating the levers of government. His methods, like those of the current White House, included appointments of yes-men, aggressive tests of legal limits, strategic lawbreaking, resistance to oversight, and obsessive secrecy. As was also the case with the White House, the events of 9/11 solidified the mindset underlying his worst tendencies. Embedded in his operating style is a belief that rules don't apply to him, and a ruthless gift for exploiting the intrinsic weaknesses in the system of checks and balances." [Washington Monthly, Editorial, 11/07, http://www2.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0711.morris.html]

SECRETIVE

Secrecy: Giuliani Even Denied Information On Denials. "The Giuliani administration is intensively secretive, routinely denying any request for public information (including The Sun's request for the number of requests the administration has denied). The New York Times and the Daily News have had to sue the city to get public information." [Baltimore Sun, 10/27/97]

Openess Of Government A "Public Flashpoint." "The disclosure and credibility of public information has been a public flashpoint through Giuliani's two terms as mayor, which end Dec. 31." [New York Times, 5/19/01]