RUDY VERITAS

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RAH

DOI

I urge you to read a post submitted by someone calling themselves "noway"@privacy.com (ip address   75.161.127.15.)  Given the facts he portrays and how unashamedly he's willing to come off an idiot I have no doubt it is the same NYC Dept of Investigation yahoo who came to my house on the day my apt was searched and later when I was arrested.  First consider that he feels compelled after 6 years to post something so full of scorn, hate and rage.  I went to prison - they won.  Nope, not good enough.  This is the same guy who on the day of my arrest complained to the Fed agent in charge that I was putting on my shoes and socks in the wrong order.  The Fed told him to shut-up.  I will be writing extensively about the NYC DOI and law enforcement in general, but nothing, nothing could prove the points I will make better than the post from this presumably current DOI employee.  These guys don't just do a job professionally and then go home.  They are filled with self-loathing and hatred towards those they perceive have it better than them at some unfair advantage.  It colors their whole view of the world and in doing their jobs leads them to make, at first, small compromises and then ever greater ones.  The ends always justify the means.   This guy was a tag along, as was DOI, to the Feds.  They treated him as such.  Naturally he didn't realize that, although it was obvious.

Six years later this guy is still haunted by the fact that they cuffed me in the front instead of the back. Sick.  As my mother would say, "Nicht Normal."  I really encourage you to ask yourself what would motivate someone to write that post.  In a sane world a guy like that would say, "I did the work, I helped put a bad guy away - end of story - move on to the next case."   But he can't.  Like I said they are filled with hate, consumed by it.  Why else would someone from 'law enforcement', and we never considered DOI law enforcement, write something like that.  I thank him for the post.  He will make my job immeasurably easier.

First, please look at this section in the future for any comments and thoughts about the blog and your postings.  Also, news about future postings.

Let me just give a quick impression on the last few days.  There appears to be significant interest for what I am posting and that is of course more gratifying than there being no interest.  But as I made plain, whether one person reads this or a million I am doing this because I feel it is important both personally and historically to get as much clear, concise - hopefully verifiable - information about the eight years of the Giuliani Administration out there as possible.  It was an extraordinarily important time in the life of our city; whether you loved Rudy or hated him.  I believe that more facts, regarding the issues debated or just nuances as to the players, helps broaden the historical record. 

As for the negative comments, I am frankly not surprised.  I am surprised, however, at one aspect.  If you are hostile to this blog because you are a huge Rudy fan and you believe that in some way this damages him, I can understand the vehemence.  He's your guy and any negative comment, real or perceived, diminishes him.  I played in that arena with a vengeance, so I get it.

What puzzles me is the extreme nature of some of the hostility towards me from those of you who are not Rudy fans.  If this blog were being beamed into your homes every Thursday night by the networks, I could understand that.  But you have to actually make a conscious effort to find and read this.  If it offends you don't type in rudyveritas.com.  It is even easier than changing the channel. As for the argument that it stills finds its way to you through the newspapers and therefore it is in your face none-the-less, all I can say is after spending years in public relations, both privately and on behalf of NYC, it is no easy task to get a story that has zero credibility in the New York Times.  Notwithstanding Jason Blair and Judith Miller, if the Times felt this was meritless regardless of any sensationalistic value, they would not print it.  Moreover, they confirmed the story and in a relatively short amount of time. 

I am smart enough to know that the negative comments will keep coming and I'll keep posting them (the guy who keeps calling for my death, well I'm not 100% sure about those).  But I've promised to tell the truth, all of it.  Both the easy and the painful.  Barring any unforeseen events, that is what I
intend to do.

As for the numerous posts about 9/11 and RWG's possible involvement or any possible foreknowledge, all I can say is this: I have no personal knowledge as to whether or not Rudy Giuliani knew or didn't know about 9/11 before it happened.  But here is what I am sure of.  I know with absolute certainty that his Chief of Staff Anthony Carbonetti did not know.  Moreover, had he discovered that Rudy had known I would have learned that from him.  You are just going to have to trust me on that.  I do not believe it is possible for Rudy to have engaged in any conspiracy before or after the events to cover-up any pre-existing awareness that Tony Carbonetti would not have become aware of.  And if he had, I would have known.  There was nothing, absolutely nothing, he withheld from me back then.  As for Rudy's actions relating to the clean-up or the deployment of forces on that day and days after, reasonable people can claim it was a masterful job or full of errors.  There has been and I am sure will continue to be a debate on those issues. 

I had my own personal experience two years before 9/11 with the Housing Bureau of the NYPD and their radios not being equipped to talk to non-Housing Bureau NYPD.  This was years after the merger.  I even had a conversation with Tony about how ridiculous I thought it was.  My driver was involved in a minor fender bender near City Hall.  We waited for the police.  Driving by were two housing cops who agreed to wait with us for a police car and cops that could fill out the report.  After 40 minutes I asked them why they couldn't just radio the local precinct and have someone sent.  They explained their radios didn't work with non-Housing NYPD staff.  I finally had to get Tony to call the local precinct to have someone sent as I was late for a meeting uptown.  Should that have been a warning of serious deficiencies?  I suppose.  But September 11th  was a bad day and lots of things went wrong that, with hindsight, could have been prevented.

I feel extremely gratified that the New York Times found an independent source to corroborate the basics of the Judith Nathan story that appears here.  The folks at GP (Giuliani Partners) are working overtime to get this to somehow be about my motivation.  Well, now that the NYT has verified the story, GP's denials are looking a little wobbly.  They still maintain in light of the Times' source that the whole story is untrue.  OK.  Release Judith Nathan's rent and garage canceled checks for the years that she lived at 200 E. 94th St.  This is all verifiable.  No one has to take my word for anything.

INFORMATION

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, SEND THEM TO: rudyveritas@gmail.com

I will attempt to respond as quickly as possible.

RAH

Very, Very....

One of the internal jokes we always had about Rudy was his overuse of the adjective VERY.  Nothing was ever very good, it was very, very good.  Someone was not wrong, they were very, very wrong.  We would stand at the back of the Blue Room at City Hall where the mayor does his daily press avails and smirk whenever he would trot out the very, verys.  I ended up doing it myself after awhile and found it to be a hard habit to break.   To be fair, my staff used to snicker behind my back at my overuse of the word MASSIVE.  It wasn't just a screw-up it was a massive screw-up.  You get the idea.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT INFO:
rudyveritas@gmail.com

                                      RUDY VERITAS IS LAUNCHED

Former Rudy Aide Unveils Website Detailing Behind-The-Scenes Life in the Giuliani Administration & More

September 18, 2008

Russell Harding, former head of Intergovernmental Affairs for Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, today announced the start of a new website focused primarily on recounting his years with the former mayor.

The site, RUDYVERITAS.COM, was unveiled today and contains several revealing episodes detailing the inner workings of the administration and insight into the mind and manner of Mayor Giuliani.  “I want to put out publicly the complete story of those eight years and more”, said Mr. Harding.  “I’ve known Rudy Giuliani since 1989.  I worked on all three of his mayoral campaigns and served in one capacity or another for every day of his eight years at City Hall.  I had access to people and events that all but a handful can claim.”

The newly launched site’s initial content includes Mr. Harding’s strange Las Vegas excursion with Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain as well as dealings with runner-up, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.  In addition the site includes revealing information about the former mayor’s wife, Judith.   The site will include new content on a bi-weekly basis.  “All of the main content for the site has already been written,” Mr. Harding said.  “I will just be putting it up over the next few months.”

The site will also include Mr. Harding’s on-going analysis of the presidential campaign and will delve into his personal troubles. Mr. Harding has served time in federal prison.  “I hope people will find my personal story interesting and enlightening as well.”  In addition Mr. Harding promises a few surprises.  “While all of the site's content will be new to readers, I think it is fair to say that some will be rather explosive”, Mr. Harding disclosed.

Mr. Harding served as Coordinator for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Mayor’s Office during the first Giuliani Administration.  He subsequently served as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation followed by four years as President of the NYC Housing Development Corporation. 

Russell Harding’s full biography can be found on the ‘About’ section of RUDYVERITAS.COM. 

###

Ralph

It is not widely known but Rudy had a codename amongst his inside crew.  'Crew' was a term my father rather liked to describe Rudy's staff (more mafia connotations).  Early on it became necessary to refer to Rudy in conversation between ourselves without anyone around knowing of whom we were speaking.  It might be in a restaurant, the street - basically any crowded situation. "Rudy needs you to do this" or "Rudy wants you at Gracie at 9PM."

In addition, back then, we were generally of the belief that cell phones were not secure.  I don't mean in the way that the NSA or the Russians can listen in.  I mean back in the early 90's there was a widely-held belief that cell phones were much like cordless phones in their level of security.  I do not know if any of those recorded Charles & Diana calls to their lovers were over cell phones, but I recall one Giuliani aide referring to them in conjunction with the need to be careful when speaking on our cells.

So Ray Harding came up with 'Ralph'.  Whenever security was an issue Rudy was always referred to as Ralph.  Back then, now too for that matter, most people did not know a Rudy in their daily life.  The only Rudy most people 'knew' or ever heard about was the mayor.  So if you mentioned his name and especially in the contexts we were, it was bound to be understood as 'that' Rudy.  You can blather on for hours about Mike and no one will take any notice of what you're saying.  But start talking about Rudy and ears perk up.  Interestingly, much like their mayoralties. 

Conventions et al.

Within the first weeks of the Giuliani Administration invitations were forwarded to me for Rudy from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and other such groups.  I thought this a great opportunity for Rudy to showcase his new ideas on a larger stage.  Sort of a best practices kind of thing, although nothing had been tried or succeeded yet.  I went to see him with the invites and to discuss some logistics for his participation at these events.

He cut me off with a wave of his hand.  "We're not going to those", he informed me.  "We're not?" I asked.  "My participation only elevates them.  It does nothing for us. Besides, I'm too busy," Rudy told me.   He said it to me like I was an idiot for not having figured this out already.  I tried a few more times over the coming months to get him to agree to at least one of these events.  Staff from the various associations were calling to ask me why he was not attending. I never told them what he had said and blamed scheduling, being new in office - time pressures.  But I thought Rudy was being narrow in his view.  I thought it good for him and the City if he were to mingle with these other Mayors.  It took a good three or four years but I finally saw that he was correct. 

Rudy knew that who he was and what he was doing were singularly unique.  When he needed other mayors they would come to him.  We arranged for Mayor Ed Rendell to come to NYC for a weekend meeting with City Hall staff.  I was so impressed that he drove himself with no escort.  The NYPD met him at the NY-PA border, at our request, and escorted him from there to Gracie Mansion.  Rudy was a huge fan of Steve Goldsmith, the Mayor of Indianapolis.  His ideas were crucial on labor and productivity issues.  But Rudy had them come to him.  He knew, he foresaw, that soon mayors and more would be seeking audiences.  He would later become insular and aloof but he believed that only through transforming New York would he achieve the recognition he sought.  Actions speak louder then schmoozing.  He was right.

What does this have to do with anything, especially conventions?  I will tell you.  Gone is that Rudy I've just described.  In his place is a bad Willy Loman impression; knocking on network sky-booth doors high in the rafters of the Pepsi Center in Denver selling tired, cliched and not particularly insightful musings on the Democratic gathering.  Forget that I happen to be a purist when it comes to such things.  Conventions should be left to the party to make their case.  I'm from the old school - you give the other side their time and then you hit em hard at yours.  It's really rather unseemly to see the opposition party crashing the others convention to spin - that's what your convention is for.  But there was Rudy trying to seem genuine and non-partisan in his "assessment" of Hillary's speech - even days after she had given it. No one was coming to him now.  He was everywhere at the DNC.  He was like the guest who wouldn't leave.

But here is why he has reached this nadir of his political life. Two possible scenarios.  First, he is doing this, and will do much more before election day, in order to get a high position in the McCain Administration.  One year ago a job, any job, in someone else's cabinet would have been totally unthinkable.  Even a veep slot would have been pretty unimaginable.  Then came his disastrous campaign.  There are only four jobs he would consider worthy: State, Defense, CIA & Justice.  State and Defense seem unlikely from a McCain perspective.  But CIA & Justice are possibilities.  Heading back to his roots: supervising all those U.S. Attorneys, running the BOP and the U.S. Marshalls.  Or even better, managing spooks during the war on terror.  Both pretty appealing to Rudy.  He will try and maintain this genuine, earnest persona as he campaigns for McCain.  But he will do whatever McCain asks, make no mistake.  You'll see requests from the McCain camp for attack dog Rudy.  Rudy will do it too because he lacks a political memory even for his own career. Pit bulling Obama will only bring back echoes of Cuomo 1994.  But Rudy won't remember that.

The "community organizer" crack has probably finished him off in NY politics.  I guarantee you he doesn't realize that either.  There is a giddiness that overtakes Rudy when he is on the attack that puts all sound judgment and advice aside.

Second scenario: Rudy will still do whatever McCain asks but only to keep his firm, Giuliani Partners, at the top of everyone's list when hiring.....I'm not really sure why they hire him or for what, but someone must know and he and the crew over there want to keep the money rolling in.  The easiest way to ensure that is for everyone to know quite openly that he has major, major entre at the new White House.  He did fantastically with Bush.  They would deny him nothing.  He wants that with McCain.

I lied.  I promised you two scenarios but I'm going to give you two and a half.  If I had to put money down I would say the likely outcome is a fusion of one and two.  He won't take a major cabinet post.  He'll focus on the firm but will be prominent with lots of Boards and Commissions.  Something like Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.  Or maybe a seat on the board of the Kennedy Center for Judith. And if Giuliani Partners can recover sufficiently from the post campaign slump, maybe an apartment at the Watergate.  He also may have his eye on that mansion on Eagle Street in Albany and you can't live there running from Langley.