There has been some word that Donald Trump’s personal attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been failing. A reporter for The New York magazine Olivia Nuzzi went to find out for herself. Giuliani knows how to make an entrance. He was late. Then, the black SUV approached with lights flashing.
In spite of the grand entrance, Giuliani now 75-years-old did appear disheveled. He was wearing a sweater with a dark blue suit over it. Nuzzi said that the fly of his pants was unzipped. He had an Americana-flag lapel pin, as many politicians wear, and a flashy Yankees World Series ring.
Over a sweater, he wore a navy-blue suit. He accessorized with an American-flag lapel pin, and he wore a diamond-encrusted pinky ring.
The former mayor said he:
‘Couldn’t go (drive) on sidewalks like I used to.’
He carried three phones, all of various sizes. Giuliani has a recent problem with “butt-dialing” reporters. On this day, he accidentally turned on Siri. He claimed:
‘She never understands me. ‘
The 75-year-old has a big role in the Trump administration. Not only was he the president’s personal attorney — the last one went to jail. Giuliani serves as an informal White House Cybersecurity adviser and an extremely high-priced cybersecurity contractor:
‘We snuck out of Kiev to escape having to answer a lot of questions, They all thought we were going to leave on Friday morning, and I organized a private plane to go to Vienna on Thursday night.’
Giuliani stared straight ahead and seldom made eye contact during the interview. Nuzzi said:
‘When his mouth closed, saliva leaked from the corner and crawled down his face through the valley of a wrinkle. He didn’t notice, and it fell onto his sweater.’
He said that he does not trust anyone any longer. So how did he come to trusting Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman? These Russian-born naturalized American citizens partnered with him getting dirt on Trump’s opponent. Giuliani said:
‘They look like Miami people. I know a lot of Miami people that look like that that are perfectly legitimate and act like them. Neither one of them have ever been convicted of a crime. Neither one. And generally that’s my cutoff point, because if you do it based on allegations and claims and — you’re not gonna work with anybody. (He laughed) Particularly in business.’
The former mayor talked about the Trump scandal. He blamed former U.S. government ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He called her “Santa Maria Yovaniovtch,” and said Democratic supporter George Soros “controlled her:”
‘He put all four ambassadors there. And he’s employing the FBI agents.’
Nuzzi told him that he “sounded crazy.” But he insisted he wasn’t. Giuliani said:
‘Don’t tell me I’m anti-Semitic if I oppose him. Soros is hardly a Jew. I’m more of a Jew than Soros is. I probably know more about — he doesn’t go to church, he doesn’t go to religion — synagogue. He doesn’t belong to a synagogue, he doesn’t support Israel, he’s an enemy of Israel. He’s elected eight anarchist DA’s in the United States. He’s a horrible human being.’
In this conspiracy theory, the former mayor said he thought the media worked for the billionaire, and that they printed lies about him. Then, he said:
‘I have no business interests in Ukraine.’
Next, he proceeded to talk about his business interests in Ukraine. He said since he started representing Trump, people have approached him:
‘I’ve done two business deals in Ukraine. I’ve sought four or five others.’
‘…the case was to learn about Ukrainian money laundering, utilizing the same money-laundering system for Hunter Biden.”
“I thought about it for a month, back and forth, and then I referred it to another lawyer. I did take advantage of learning a little about the money-laundering system first.’
Giuliani’s former wife indicated in an interview with The New Yorker he was an alcoholic. Others have bee ncconcerned about his mental state. He responded sarcastically:
“Oh yeah, yeah — I do a lot of drugs, There was one I was addicted to. I’ve forgotten what it is. I don’t know where the drug things come from — I really don’t. The alcohol comes from the fact that I did occasionally drink. I love scotch. I can’t help it. All of the malts. And part of it is cigars — I love to have them with cigars. I’m a partier.’
Giuliani felt betrayed by the Southern District of New York (SDNY), an organization that he led at one time.
“If they think I committed a crime, they’re out of their minds. We’ve been doing this for 50 years. I know how not to commit crimes. And if they think I’ve lost my integrity, maybe they’ve lost theirs in their insanity over hating Trump with some of the things they did that I never would’ve tolerated when I was U.S. Attorney.’
Giuliani added:
‘It’s a terrible thing to say because it will get the Southern District all upset, but I know why they’re all upset. Because they’ve never done anything like me since me. They haven’t done an eight years like I did since I left being U.S. Attorney. Nothing close.
‘Jealousy, and because I’m of a different political philosophy than they are. They’re all — they’re all knee-jerk, now logically impaired anti-Trump people, including James Comey’s daughter, who works there. You don’t think she’s bitter? Do you know the things that I’ve called her husband? I hired her husband.
‘I consider her father a disgrace. I’m embarrassed that I hired him. Never seen anyone run the FBI like that.’
The former mayor told the reporter that he was “great at” his job and those on the other side were “a bunch of clowns:”
‘I’m great at it. It’s what I do best as a lawyer. That’s what I would be good at. Oh, I would love it, I could rip — you know, I hate to sound like a ridiculously boastful lawyer, but cross-examining them would be, I don’t know, I could’ve done it when I was a second-year assistant U.S. Attorney. They’re a bunch of clowns.’
Then, he added:
‘You plan for days and days how you’re gonna cross-examine them,” he said of his theoretical strategy. “And try to learn his personality. You try to learn when he’s gonna lie, how he’s gonna lie. You try to learn how to make him feel comfortable and confident. You try to work on what kind of personality is he. Is he a boaster? Is he sensitive about certain things? Somebody like Biden, for example, is extraordinarily sensitive about his intellect.’
As he walked, Giuliani bumped into the wall. He kept going as if it had never happened. The former mayor told the waiter:
‘I’d like some sparkling water. And I know you have wonderful Bloody Marys…and I know you love them.You’re a good man.’
His son Andrew Giuliani works as Trump’s public-liaison assistant.His father thought maybe it had been his son:
‘I don’t think I talked to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at all. Of course, it’s not clear. I don’t even remember. It might have been my son…I don’t remember who I called. I talk to the president, mostly.’
He lifted the skewer of olives from his Bloody Mary and removed one with his teeth. He continued speaking as he chewed. He ordered a second Bloody Mary.
The reporter asked him whether he could do a better job representing the president than Jay Sekulow:
‘Jay is a different kind of lawyer. Jay is more of an academic lawyer. I mean, I’ve only argued in the Supreme Court once; he’s argued it 14 times. I don’t know how often Jay’s ever cross-examined anyone. I’ve cross-examined a thousand people…a hundred.
‘No, but he would be better arguing the case through the court than I would. He knows the justices a lot better; he understands their temperament better.’
The mayor’s bodyguard asked whether he had all of his phones. Giuliani said:
‘Yeah, I got all three phones. I gotta get down to two. I’m gonna try that tonight.’
Yet, one of the phones was on the seat next to Nuzzi after they dropped Giuliani off. She handed it to the bodyguards who laughed. The guard called Giuliani to tell him about the phone. The former mayor laughed, too.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
