I have always been told that you can get judged by who your friends are. In that regard after the news of the last couple of days where Rudy Giuliani stated he was "disappointed" By David Vitter let us look at whom some of the close friends of Rudy Giuliani are and who else he should be "disappointed" by...
Bernie Kerik (Former Employee of Giuliani Partners; former Police Commissioner; pushed by Giuliani to be Homeland Security Director): Had to pull his nomination as Homeland Security Director due to a myriad of issues including employing an illegal immigrant as an employee; an affair with Judith Regan which he engaged in using an apartment that was supposed to be used by 9/11 responders for rest and clean-up; connections with a construction company suspected of having ties to organized crime; suspicious sales of TASER stock; and failure to comply with ethics rules on gifts. In June 2006 Kerik pleaded guilty to two ethics violations for a failure to report a loan while a NYC commissioner and is still under investigation for tax evasion and conspiracy to commit illegal wiretapping.
Pasquale D'Amuro (Partner in Giuliani’s firm): Former Executive Assistant Director of the FBI who ordered subordinates to remove pieces of the World Trade Center site to delivery to him not for work related purposes but for his own personal collection. Even though he stated he did do this but since there was no FBI policy about keeping artifacts from terrorism sites for personal use he was not charged with any crime or ethical violation. That said one has to wonder what would have happened to a normal citizen if they had done the same.
Monsignor Alan Placa (Employee of Giuliani Partners): A childhood friend of Giuliani who was suspended from his duties as a priest in 2002 after child sexual abuse allegations surfaced. Giuliani and Placa’s friendship/association is very close as Placa was the best man at Giuliani’s first marriage and shepherded his annulment through so that Rudy could marry Donna Hanover.
Thomas Ravenel (South Carolina Treasurer): Indicted on federal cocaine charges and has been accused of working for Giuliani while billing the state for his time.
Russell Harding (Former Head of the NYC Housing Development Corporation): Admitted to wrongfully spending city money --quarter-of-a-million-- on personal expenses; While head of HDC stated that he wanted to move to a more white and conservative states and referred to African-American college students as "stupid monkeys." ; attacked Colin Powell simply because of his ethnic background; and charged with child-pornography violations.
Robert B. Asher (Was slated to be named as Giuliani’s Campaign manager in Pennsylvania): Had been convicted in a high level corruption scandal and his name was only pulled as state campaign manager when a public outcry ensued.
NYS Senator Joe Bruno (High level NY supporter): Called by Giuliani as one of the most ethical people he knows while at the same time Bruno is under investigation for questionable business dealings as well as using state police and transportation for personal and political use.
Judith Nathan (current spouse): Started an affair with Giuliani while he was still married to Donna Hanover; worked for a firm that tested products on dogs and other domestic animals; hid her first marriage until just this year—and apparently married her second husband just five days after her divorce was finalized; has created a schism between Giuilani and his children.
James Molinaro (Current Borough President of Staten Island): Partners in a condo unit in Florida with Salvatore Calcagno who has been linked to mafia associates in the NY area, was secretly recorded meeting with a powerful Gambino crime family soldier, and was recently indicted on tax fraud charges.
David Vitter (Southern Regional Chair of Giuliani campaign): Admitted last night to using escort services provided by the DC madam while at the same time stating on the Senate floor that family values should be a tenet of everyone's life and was a strong opponent against gay marriage stating it was outside of acceptable and religious tenets.
Now some may say that other people in politics or even running for President have friends that are also suspect or worse. If they wish to argue so than that is their prerogative but they (and more directly Rudy Giuliani) need to answer why he associates with so many people who have questionable lives.