The Kerik indictment, Giuliani, and the GOP; Update: Kerik pleads not guilty
Update 2:00pm EasternThe NYPost compiles Kerik’s “rap sheet:”
Update 1:30pm Eastern Kerik pleads not guilty.
Here’s the PDF of the indictment.
Update 12:04pm Eastern. Kerik facing a cumulative 142 years in jail.
Rudy Giuliani in the wake of the indictment news: “I am not running as the perfect candidate.”
“Sad day,” prosecutors say.
Update 11:30am Eastern. McCain piles on: “McCain Says Kerik Reflects on Giuliani.” The problem is that this criticism of Giuliani’s bad judgement on vital homeland security and war on terror matters comes from Mr. “F*** You!” Shamnesty himself. Pot and kettle.
Update 9:14am Eastern. Kerik surrenders to authorities: “The U.S. attorney’s office said it would hold an 11:30 a.m. EST news conference with FBI and Internal Revenue Service officials in White Plains “to announce an indictment of a former public official.”
NYDN: Rudy Giuliani won’t say if he’d pardon Kerik as President.
***
We are all fallen, imperfect beings. The news of the federal indictment of Bernie Kerik is a sad moment, a cautionary tale, and an object lesson.
Sad, because Kerik rose from the child of a prostitute to “America’s cop”–and this nation loves such tales of success.
Cautionary, because it speaks to the fallibility of anointed heroes and the temptations of power.
An object lesson, because it highlights the flaws and vulnerabilities of GOP front-runner Rudy Giuliani’s on the issues of corruption and immigration enforcement.
Here’s what I wrote back in December 2004 when Kerik was forced to withdraw from consideration as DHS chief because of his illegal alien nanny problem and his lack of candor about the debacle:
I find it annoying that Bernard Kerik is getting praised in some quarters for “coming clean” and “accepting responsibility” for his “mistake.” From all accounts, including Kerik’s own, President Bush’s aides asked him upfront about the nanny question several times during the vetting process and he did not come clean.
Kerik didn’t just make some minor clerical error. He misled the White House. So, stop making him a martyr.
It’s also interesting that some political observers on both the left and right are pooh-poohing the illegal alien nanny issue. I heard Geraldo Rivera ask Rudy Giuliani during a press conference yesterday why Kerik was in trouble over a “de minimis” issue. A number of other commentators on the Sunday shows echoed that sentiment. And John Podhoretz says Rudy Giuliani, who pushed the Kerik nomination, won’t suffer any blowback.
I disagree. I think the fiasco substantially damages Rudy Giuliani’s reputation as a homeland security leader (and 2008 presidential nominee)–not only because of his sloppy vetting of Kerik, but also because Giuliani’s own laxity on immigration (more here on his open-borders record ) will be difficult to ignore as a result of the Kerik taint.
A few other thoughts on Bernard Kerik’s withdrawal :
First, it puts an end to feminist complaints that only women nominees are penalized for having “nanny problems.”
Second, it keeps a white-hot spotlight on many of the issues raised by maverick House Republicans during the “intel reform”/border security debate, including the push for secure documentation, improved employer verification of Social Security numbers, and strengthening of penalties for immigration-related fraud.
Third, it puts a much-needed focus on the need to enforce federal employer sanctions. Why is it that the only employers who ever seem to suffer consequences for hiring illegal immigrants are Cabinet nominees?! In 2002, the federal government fined only 13 employers nationwide for hiring illegal immigrants. Enforcement of employer sanctions has been a nationwide joke for the last two decades.
And fourth, unfortunately, it virtually kills the prospects of getting someone with real homeland security enforcement experience to head DHS.
Since that post nearly three years ago, there has been little change on the homeland security and immigration enforcement front. Giuliani still refuses to acknowledge his aggressive, proactive protection of New York’s sanctuary policies.
Hillary Clinton’s botched illegal alien license answer gave the GOP some breathing room. But when the Dem-on-Dem “pile-on” dies down, we are still left with a leading GOP presidential candidate who positions himself as War on Terror strong horse–but who exercised extraordinarily weak judgement in recommending his corrupted ally for the nation’s top homeland security post, continued to rationalize it, and fails to see his own culpability in perpetuating open-borders chaos in NYC.
Three years ago, the conventional wisdom from many parts of the NYC-DC punditocracy was that Giuliani’s Kerik problem wouldn’t matter in the ‘08 presidential election.
It does.
The grass-roots conservative base is sick and tired of cronyism and open-borders arrogance–two traits that dominate the Bush White House, two traits on naked display in the intertwined fates of Rudy Giuliani and Bernie Kerik, two traits that dangerously undermine public confidence and public safety.
If Republicans are going to decide that Giuliani is the best standard-bearer for the party, they better do so with eyes wide open and absolute candor. He is–at best–only marginally better than Hillary Clinton on immigration and border security. He was a bad judge of character at a key moment in the Department of Homeland Security’s history. And despite his lip service and cable TV-friendly talking points, he remains obstinately committed to non-enforcement of immigration laws when push comes to shove.
Caveat emptor.
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Day 5. How long will we have to wait for Flenser to keep his promise?
Day 6. I wonder if he’s merrily posting elsewhere and hoping this question will just go away. Nice.
Day 7. A full week.
It isn’t as though there was any statement on Flenser’s part that suggested that he had regarded this conversation as completed. Everyone else has probably forgotten this thread but I’ll bet that Flenser hasn’t.
I’m inclinded to declare victory by default, but that’ll be a mistake – a mistake to conclude my participation, go away and have him pop back in at some later date when this thread has be forgotten and make some declaration of some sort which would go unopposed.
Links to this thread can be posted anywhere on this board, Flenser, so you might as well keep your promise and address the question. Or just admit that you can’t. For someone who was all over this thread until this question came up, 7 days is quite long enough for you to answer.
It’s not long after midnight here but I figured I get this in lest I forget tomorrow: Day 8.
Day 9.
Day 10.
Day 11.
Day 12. Happy Thanksgiving!
Day 13.
Day 14 – 2 full weeks – and day 15.
Day 16.
Day 17.
Day 18.
Flenser was shooting his mouth off on the latest Republican debate thread, so I clled him on not answering this thread and keeping his word, so don’t be surprised if he suddenly “remembers” it – on day 18.
Day 19.
Day 20.
Day 21. Three weeks. I cannot help but think that Flenser might be waiting for this moment, but I feel secure in declairing victory on this minor debate with him. You know, when someone says “you do this and I’ll do that” they really should show the integrity to do the “do that” part. Can’t wait for him to sneak in the back door after three weeks and try to have the last word unopposed. He seems like the type.
I don’t know who Flenser supports, but against whoever it is, it looks like the Rudy people won this one.
9 weeks, more or less. This update provided to you by Flenser himself, who still has time to run around bashing Republican frontrunners – while claiming to be conswervative (that’s the big trick) to erode the conservative base, but he also admitted that he would pro-actively vote for Hillary, but hasn’t had the time to keep his word in answering the question here he said he would.
Like most operatives (like the NY Times that savaged Rudy recently for which he took pride being a conservative) Flenser appears most afraid of Rudy, and the word is out to nail him. Don;t let the Flensers of the world succeed. Show them up, cast them out and vote twice if you can.