Rudy Giuliani accused of trading on 9/11

Rudy Giuliani accused of trading on 9/11

From Times Online
September 11, 2007


(Chip East/Reuters)

Rudy Giuliani was criticised for giving a reading at the 9/11 memorial event today

James Bone, of The Times, New York

Rudolph Giuliani made a controversial appearance at New York's "Ground Zero" today as rival presidential candidates battled over the legacy of the September 11 terror attacks.

The former New York mayor has spoken at the commemoration of the 9/11 terror attacks every year, but his appearance at today's sixth anniversary ceremony provoked a furious reaction from some firemen and victims' families who accuse him of trying to exploit the event for political gain in the presidential race.

The Republican contender, hailed as "America's Mayor" for his leadership after the 2001 attacks, made a brief statement that critics claimed could give him an unfair boost in his campaign.

"On that day six years ago and on the days that followed, in the midst of our great grief and turmoil, we also witnessed uncompromising strength and resilience as a people. It was a day with no answers, but with an unending line of those who came forward to try to help one another," Mr Giuliani said, before reading a short passage from Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, also attended the ceremony as she has every year except 2004, when her husband was having heart surgery, but she was not invited to speak.

None of the victims' relatives attending today's solemn commemmoration made any conspicuous protest against Mr Giuliani's presence, however, and many voiced support.

"He is here as an American. This is not closed to anybody. There is enough blame to go around," said John Napolitano Sr, a former police officer who lost his fireman son John in the attack. "You have to remember the Clintons were in office for eight years and there were terrorist attacks and for whatever reason we did not take action."

Lenny Crisci, also a former policeman, who lost his fireman brother Johnny, said: "Giuliani needs to be here because he was part of this. When Clinton was in office the World Trade Centre was bombed (in 1993) and Clinton did not even show up because only six people died."

It is a measure of the symbolism of 9/11 in the 2008 presidential campaign that leading candidates in both parties hail from New York, which was long considered to be outside the mainstream of American politics.

Mr Giuliani insists he is not running for president based on his record during 9/11, but he has made the attacks a major theme of his campaign.

He got into trouble this summer, however, by suggesting that he had been "exposed to exactly the same things" as the firemen who claim they are suffering from respiratory diseases because of toxins at the burning site.

The New York Times did a detailed analysis of Mr Giuliani's presence at Ground Zero - excluding the chaotic first six days after the attack - and found he had spent 29 hours there from September 17, 2001 to December 16, 2001, while rescue workers were routinely working 12-hour shifts

On the campaign trail with his wife in recent weeks, former President Bill Clinton has taken aim at Mr Giuliani by criticising the treatment of firemen who suffered respiratory ailments after 9/11. The strategy is seen as an effort by Mrs Clinton to knock Mr Giuliani off his 9/11 pedestal. On Saturday, she spoke at a rally at Ground Zero calling for better health care to rescue workers who face health risks because of their work at the site.

A documentary film-maker, who has worked for Democratic causes, has made a series of four short videos attacking Mr Giuliani's role since 9/11 in an "online viral video campaign" on the Internet. The videos accuse the former mayor of failing to prepare New York for a major disaster, ignoring sick Ground Zero workers and profiting financially from his role in the disaster after leaving office in 2001.

Michael Bloomberg, Mr Giuliani's successor as New York mayor, defended his decision to invite his predecessor, as "appropriate" - noting that he did not take part in the ritual reading of the names of the almost 3,000 people who died in the attack.

Nevertheless, Mr Giuliani's presence upset some victims' relatives and firemen angry about their treatment for illnesses they say resulted from the attacks and prolonged clean-up.

"They should have every other single presidential candidate then, because this is outrageous," Sally Regenhard, whose fireman son was killed, complained before today's ceremony. "This is going to be seen across the country as a blanket endorsement from us -- it's totally inappropriate."

Mr Giuliani responded: "I was there when it happened and I've been there every year since then. If I didn't, it would be extremely unusual. As a personal matter, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. That's personal, that's not political. that's a personal thing. I will do that for as long as they have a ceremony out there."

The controversy comes amid renewed concerns about the safety of Ground Zero, now a massive building site, following a fire that killed two firemen in a skyscraper that was being demolished.

Victims' families had at one point threatened to boycott the official commemoration because they were going to be barred from the 16-acre site. They relented when Mayor Bloomberg decided to allow them to lay flowers in the seven-acre "Pit".

Some commentators suggest that New Yorkers are getting "9/11 fatigue" with the repeated ceremonies. But protests forced two local TV stations to reverse plans not to air live coverage of the three-hour reading of the victims' names.

The ceremony was attended by a contingent of some 30 British police officers in full uniform, who stood to attention at key points. "It's the sixth year we've come," said Constable Norman Brennan of the British Transport Police, the founder of a police group called Protect the Protectors. "We have more than 1,000 police officers that have attended, from constable to commander, from every UK police force. Last year we brought a horse, called Protector, that is now an NYPD horse. It's just solidarity."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2428868.ece