Longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani recently joined the site known as Cameo, where celebrities make themselves available to record short video messages on behalf of fans or members of the general public, for a fee. Predictably, Giuliani’s invitation for observers to send him messages to read has already gone awry. In a new video from the platform, Giuliani can be seen seeming to heartily promote the efforts of the opponents of one of his own legal clients. As explained by New York Magazine, Giuliani read “an endorsement of several journalists and activists who have reported critically on, or campaigned against, Derwick Associates, the energy firm founded by Alejandro Betancourt, a Venezuelan businessman reportedly represented by Giuliani.”
Reportedly, Giuliani’s advocacy on behalf of Betancourt has included an attempt to assist him in dealing with allegations of money laundering and bribery. The new Cameo message from Giuliani addresses “Angus, Cesar, Orlando, Alek, Thor, Otto” — which are the first names of investigative journalists, an anti-corruption activist, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela who’ve targeted Derwick Associates. Otto Reich (the ex-ambassador) and Thor Halvorssen (the anti-corruption activist) have even sued the company, with the latter having even accused Giuliani of “getting millions of dollars in stolen money” from Betancourt. The Cameo message from Giuliani was purportedly from the staff of Derwick Associates and thanked those who Giuliani named for having “fought for” the employees “for years.”
After reading what was apparently the script that he was provided, Giuliani added the following:
‘Well, that’s a nice thing! I really wish somebody would send me a message like that! I think you can be very, very proud of it. It sounds like it comes from the heart, and it comes from having done very hard work. I wish I knew more about it, I could say more, but that’s the message they gave me to deliver to you. And, again, I congratulate you on having done such fine work for the people that appreciate you so much!’
Check out the video below:
New York Magazine notes that it’s unclear whether Giuliani was aware of the nature of the message. As the publication put it, “Giuliani’s pronunciation of the name “Derwick” leaves some room for interpretation, as his emphasis on the Der sounds Ter enough to suggest he may have been under the impression that he was saying something else altogether.” Also, it’s at least initially unclear where the message request came from, but no matter its origin, and no matter Giuliani’s level of awareness — he apparently recorded a message “endorsing [a] case against his own client,” as New York Magazine phrased it. Great job, Rudy.
