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McCain Blasts Giuliani's Past Support for Kerik
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ShareNovember 09, 2007 1:51 PM
ABC News' Bret Hovell and Jan Simmonds Report: Sen. John McCain weighed in on the controversy surrounding indicted former NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, saying he would never have supported Kerik to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
"I don’t know Mr. Kerik," the Arizona Republican said in Concord, N.H. Friday. "I do know that I went to Baghdad shortly after the initial victory and met with [top leaders in Iraq] and Kerik was there. Kerik was supposed to be there to help train the police force. He stayed two months and one day he just left."
"That's why I never would have supported him to be the head of Homeland Security, because of his irresponsible action when he was over there in Baghdad to try to help train the police," McCain said of Kerik, who served as police commissioner while GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani was New York City's mayor.
"One of the reasons we had so much initial problems with the training is because he came, didn’t do anything, and one day went out to the airport and left," McCain said.
Kerik, who pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges in a New York court Friday afternoon, was a close friend of Giuliani.
In 2004, Giuliani had sponsored Kerik as the Homeland Security Secretary nominee. But Kerik withdrew his name from consideration days later, citing tax issues related to domestic worker employed by his household.
McCain also drew a connection between Kerik and Giuliani, saying that the former top cop's actions in Iraq should have caught the attention of Giuliani before he backed him for a cabinet post.
"That should have been part of anybody's judgment before they would recommend that individual to be the head of the Department of Homeland Security."
"His contribution to training the police and law enforcement people in Iraq, which is ostensibly why he was there, was less than successful," McCain said.
Giuliani's campaign fired back, distributing a list of past McCain statements in which he praised the former New York City mayor as an "American Hero."
"Is this what desperation looks like? Bernie Kerik's issues have been known since 2004 and John McCain still had glowing things to say about Rudy Giuliani and his leadership," Communications Director Katie Levinson added.
"What, exactly, changed today? Best as I can tell, it's just John McCain's pure desperation in the face of a failing and flailing campaign trumping his so-called straight talk. It is truly a shame that John McCain has chosen to stoop this low," Levinson's statement concluded.
ABC News' Theresa Cook contributed to this report.
November 9, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (2)
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Studying all the GOP candidates, I have
a phrase or 2 to sum up each of them:
Rudy - maniac playing the fear card.
John - oldtimer who doesn't know how
to play the game in 2007-08
Mitt - the ultimate flip-flopper, will
change everything but his name,
accepts endorsements happily by
those who slam his religion.
Freddy - the ultimate redneck in a world
that's passed them by.
They should all take a pass in 2008 -
it's a Democratic cycle.
Posted by: RichieF | Nov 9, 2007 3:14:41 PM
Your right, except the last line. It's not a democratic cycle, its a long over due Freedom and Liberty cycle
Posted by: Greg | Nov 9, 2007 6:07:18 PM
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