Unlike in past presidential transitions, when people seeking prominent posts in a new administration mostly stayed clear of the media, Rudy Giuliani has been on an intense lobbying effort to be picked as secretary of state in the Trump administration. The 72-year-old former New York mayor says in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he’s traveled to foreign countries in the past 13 years as much as Hillary Clinton did in her time as secretary of state. Parroting the president-elect’s own campaign braggadocio, Giuliani told the Journal:
“My knowledge of foreign policy is as good, or better, than anybody they’re talking to.”
Many of his trips abroad have been consulting gigs, mostly for private companies, but also for governments and candidates for high office, including Vitali Klitschko, the retired heavyweight boxer who Giuliani’s firm—Giuliani Partners—advised on anti-corruption efforts. The firm has also advised the Colombian government and Aleksandar Vucic when he was running for mayor of Belgrade. He’s now Serbia’s prime minister.
In addition, Giuliani Partners advised TransCanada, whose application to build the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline President Obama rejected year ago this month.
If Giuliani gets picked for the secretary of state’s post, he is perfectly set up for a stream of lucrative conflicts of interest, just like the guy who would be his boss. Kleptocracy on the march.