WASHINGTON, March 15 LAWFUEL – Law News, Law Jobs — Once again, Rudy
Giuliani’s business interests and his refusal to divulge a full list of all his businesses’ clients are creating a problem for the GOP Presidential hopeful. This is not the first time that Giuliani’s personal financial dealings have undercut his credibility on an important matter of public policy.
Although Giuliani said yesterday that, “The goal … over the next 10
to 15 years is to reduce, and then eliminate, our reliance on oil from
sources that are enemies of the United States,” it has been revealed that
Giuliani’s law firm has netted hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying
for Citgo, the giant oil company which is controlled by Venezuela’s
President Hugo Chavez. [Bloomberg, 3/14/07; “The Caucus,” NYT.com, 3/14/07] Chavez, a vocal critic of the United States, was recently condemned by
President Bush during his trip to Latin America who is trying to “counter
the Venezuelan leader’s rising stature.” [AP, 3/11/07]
“Americans still have a lot more to learn about Rudy Giuliani,” said
Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. “Given these
latest revelations, it is more important than ever for Giuliani to share a full list of all his businesses’ clients with the American people. The
public deserves to know if Giuliani’s rhetoric matches with reality.
Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and taking six figures in
lobbying fees from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez don’t add up. It’s no
surprise Giuliani wants to keep his client list secret, but the question
is, what else is he hiding?”
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK FOR RUDY GIULIANI
Giuliani By Day: Cash In From Citgo, Hugo Chavez
Six Figure Payments From Chavez Company. Yesterday it was reported by
Bloomberg that Giuliani’s law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani netted $125,000 to
$250,000 lobbying for Citgo, starting only weeks after Giuliani joined the
firm. Citgo is controlled by Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s president and a
“strident” critic of the US. This income was part of the 40-fold increase
of the firm’s lobbying income after Giuliani joined, jumping from $150,000
in 2004 to more than $6 million in 2005. [Bloomberg, 3/14/07, Boston Globe,
3/15/07; AP, 1/10/07]
Giuliani Netted At Least $10 Million From Joining Firm. When Giuliani
joined Bracewell, he was guaranteed about $10 million, with some money paid
to him directly and some paid to Giuliani Partners to compensate for his
time spent at the new firm. Giuliani received a direct payment estimated at
$1 million to $1.5 million. [Newsday (New York), 5/8/06]
Giuliani By Night: Tell Big Ticket New York Fundraiser That We Should
Use Less Foreign Oil
“A National Purpose.” “Rudolph W. Giuliani said tonight that weaning
the United States off foreign oil must become a national purpose, that
doing it within 10 to 15 years would be a centerpiece of a Giuliani
presidency, and that he will have much more to say on the subject as the
campaign wears on.” [“The Caucus,” NYT.com, 3/14/07]
It Is “A Matter of National Security.” He said: “The federal government
must treat energy independence as a matter of national security.” [“The
Caucus,” NYT.com, 3/14/07]
Don’t Depend On “Enemies Of The United States” For Oil — Doesn’t
Chavez Qualify? Giuliani said that “The goal, however, over the next 10 to
15 years is to reduce, and then eliminate, our reliance on oil from sources
that are enemies of the United States.” As the Boston Globe noted, “Chavez
has used his country’s oil wealth to lure fellow Latin American leaders
away from alliances with the United States. In recent years, he has called
Bush a ‘donkey,’ a ‘drunkard’ and a ‘coward’ blamed him for a failed 2002
coup attempt in Venezuela, and allied himself with Fidel Castro.” [“The
Caucus,” NYT.com, 3/14/07]
MORE OF THE SAME: THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT GIULIANI’S CLIENTS,
THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND WHY HE WON’T RELEASE A FULL LIST
Millions From Troubled Sources. While he hasn’t a full list of all of
his businesses’ clients, a trend is clear. According to a report in the
Chicago Tribune, Giuliani’s businesses have “collected more than $1 million
in consulting fees from firms tied to criminal or regulatory missteps.”
Furthermore, Giuliani has not disclosed the names of all his clients at his
investment bank. As the same report notes, Giuliani will face a new level
of scrutiny now that he is running for president, and will likely have to
reveal those names since all “candidates are subjected to a microscopic
examination of their personal, professional and public behavior.” [Chicago
Tribune, 2/7/07]
Giuliani Avoiding Full Disclosure. Questions also have been raised
about whether or not Giuliani’s strategy of registering his presidential
exploratory committee without filing for candidacy may have also been a
move to hide details of his business dealings. As Newsday noted, “by
holding off [his candidacy in November], Giuliani avoided the risk of
having to file a personal financial disclosure form by mid-December … and
lay bare several intriguing, and possibly controversial, facts about Rudy
the businessman that have never surfaced publicly.” [Newsday, 2/3/07]
Rudy’s Known Controversial Business Dealings
Giuliani’s War Profiteering
Giuliani Maintains “Strategic Alliance” with Vanguard Systems.
“Vanguard Response Systems Inc. today announced that it has entered into a
strategic alliance with Giuliani Partners LLC, headed by former New York
City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, in a joint effort to market products that
improve readiness and response capability against chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) devices or materials.” [Vanguard
Press Release, 5/4/04]
Vanguard Systems’ Products Are Used in Iraq. “Vanguard’s products are
in use in theatres of conflict such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and have been
deployed as countermeasures in domestic terrorist incidents.” [Vanguard
Press Release, 5/4/04]
Giuliani Partners Invested $800K in Vanguard; Interest Convertible to
Common Shares. Giuliani Partners has elected to invest $800,000 of their
strategic advisory fees in Vanguard in the form of a convertible debenture,
which will bear interest at 5% and will be convertible into Vanguard common
shares at a price of Cdn$4.00 per share. [Vanguard Press Release, 5/4/04]
Giuliani Worked For PhRMA, Spoke Out Against Re-importation of
Pharmaceutical Drugs for Seniors
Giuliani Partners Had Multi-Million Contract With PhRMA. Giuliani was a
paid consultant to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of
America, the drugmaker trade group that is fighting drug importation
proposals in Congress. Giuliani Partners was hired by Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to study the safety of
reimported prescription drugs. The National Journal reported, “Giuliani
Partners, industry lobbyists said, has a one-year deal with PhRMA that was
valued at a few million dollars. And one of Giuliani’s key assignments,
according to lobbyists, was to speak out often on the dangers of imported
prescription medications.” PhRMA spokesman Jeff Trewhitt vowed that the
research would be carried out independently though the drug industry
opposed reimportation. “We need a large amount of evidence to shed light on the issue,” he commented. “We think that we need more credible data and
that we can get it from Giuliani.” [Chain Drug Review, 4/26/04; National
Journal, 3/13/04]
Probe by Giuliani Found That Imported Drugs Were Dangerous. Speaking
before the US Senate on the probe’s conclusions, Giuliani said his research showed that U.S. government inspectors look at only about 10 percent of packages containing pharmaceuticals that are sent from abroad. “It is pretty much right now a wide open system,” Giuliani told senators.
The report asserted safety and security risks “far outweigh any alleged
benefits for US residents.” The report also said, “It is not difficult to
imagine a scenario in which terrorist groups could use this system to
finance their operations or, worse, as a vehicle of attack.” Giuliani also touted the report’s findings to the public. On Fox, he said, “I mean, the
reality is that there are dangers [with the importation of Canadian
drugs].” [Contemporary Pediatrics, 5/1/05; Tulsa World (Oklahoma), 6/18/04; Biotech Business Week, 7/15/06; United Press International, 4/26/04;
O’Reilly Factor, Fox News Network, 5/11/04]
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