It’s hard to think about Bernard Kerik and not think about what a screwy, scheming guy he is. But while screwy, Kerik isn’t too much of an outlier in the world of Giuliani’s close associates.
The DNC reminds us of Placa…
Giuliani also has been criticized for employing his childhood friend, former Monsignor Alan Placa, although “Placa was barred from the ministry after being accused of sexual abuse and of helping cover up abuse by other priests.” [Associated Press, 11/9/07]
The Carpetbagger also brings up Kenneth Caruso, who along with Giuliani’s firm is facing charges for conspiring to steal around $10 million, and the Ravenals:
* Thomas Ravenel, the chairman of Giuliani’s presidential campaign in South Carolina, was indicted on cocaine distribution charges.
* Arthur Ravenel, the replacement chairman of Giuliani’s presidential campaign in South Carolina, has characterized the NAACP as the “National Association for Retarded People,” and has an unusual fondness for the Confederate battle flag.
Plus, of course, David Vitter, the Republican Senator from Louisiana with a sweet spot for prostitutes. And, most recently, Richard Stanek of Minnesota — TPM tells his story:
The man named yesterday by the Giuliani campaign to a law enforcement outreach campaign post in Minnesota was forced to resign a government job in 2004 when proof surfaced that he’d admitted to repeatedly using the word “nigger” in the past, Election Central has learned.
Sheriff Richard Stanek was appointed to the post of chair of Minnesota Law Enforcement for Rudy. The campaign’s press release promised that Stanek “will work with law enforcement personnel throughout the state to communicate Mayor Giuliani’s record of fighting crime and his commitment to first responders.”
But as a rival campaign has pointed out to us, it turns out Stanek has admitted to having a history of racially charged remarks. He was forced to resign his post as Minnesota’s public safety commissioner in 2004 after it came to light that he’d admitted in a deposition that he’d used racist slurs in the past, including repeated use of the word “nigger.”
But it goes back farther than that.
We remember Russell Harding, Giuliani’s one-time head of the Housing Development Corporation (a position for which he had no qualifications, besides close family ties to Giuliani), who was charged in 2003 with attempting to defraud his agency of hundreds of thousands, and with receiving and possessing child pornography. He plead guilty in 2005 and is in prison now.
And Anthony Serra, who, while second in command at Rikers, organized “volunteers” from among his employees to help provide security for the state Republican party, while pulling in a quarter million dollar salary from the Pataki campaign — to do what, Pataki himself couldn’t say. He also had his employees renovate his house while they were supposed to be at work. He plead guilty and went to prison.
Then there’s Steve Zakheim, who funneled money to a Giuliani election fund, and in 2000 won a no-bid contract for his private ambulance company to respond to city 911 calls, the first time a private ambulance company would be able to do this. The contract was awarded at Giuliani’s sole personal discretion. Zakheim was also later indicted.
Then there’s Frederick Patrick and that bizarre scandal involving revenue from phone calls made by prisoners at Rikers Island. And Lou Carbonetti and the trash hauling and revenue reporting scandals.
Which is all to say, there’s a bit of a pattern here…
0 Responses to “Kerik: Far From the Only One”