Way back in June, Time’s David Von Drehle asked an interesting question: “How many alleged criminals can a law-and-order candidate be associated with before it starts to hurt?” The question, of course, was in reference to Rudy Giuliani, after Thomas Ravenel, the chairman of Giuliani’s presidential campaign in South Carolina, was indicted on cocaine distribution charges, which, of course, came on the heels of revelations about Giuliani’s connections with Bernard Kerik.
But Von Drehle posed the question far too early — the number of alleged criminals with close ties to Giuliani has gone up considerably since then. ABC News has the latest.
A Pennsylvania man convicted in a notorious corruption case played host to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a fundraiser last night, despite the Giuliani campaign’s public efforts to distance itself from the man.
Bob Asher, a major Pennsylvania Republican player as a national party committeeman, was one of four hosts for the $2,300-a-person event. Asher was convicted in 1986 on charges stemming from a bribery scheme intended to win a $300,000 state government contract. The case gained national attention when his co-defendant in the case, Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, committed suicide at a televised news conference. Asher was sentenced to serve one year in prison.
At that time, Giuliani was a federal prosecutor in New York, building a reputation by locking up criminals for similar corruption-related misdeeds.
Giuliani came and went from last night’s fundraiser without comment, ducking down in his car as ABC News cameras attempted to photograph him arriving.
Given recent events, does it not occur to Giuliani to perhaps put some distance between himself and convicted felons?
For that matter, for all the attention the Norman Hsu controversy received, Hillary Clinton didn’t even know the guy. In contrast, Giuliani and Asher carpooled to the fundraiser together.
Regular readers know what this means: it’s time to update the big board of Giuliani’s dubious associates.
* Giuliani inexplicably backed Bernie Kerik, and made him the city’s police commissioner, after he’d been briefed on Kerik’s organized crime connections.
* Alan Placa was accused by a grand jury report of sexually abusing children, as well as helping cover up the sexual abuse of children by other priests. Giuliani then put Placa, his life-long friend, on the payroll of Giuliani Partners. (Adds Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks suspected priest abuse, “I think Rudy Giuliani has to account for his friendship with a credibly accused child molester.”)
* Kenneth Caruso, a close Giuliani friend and business partner, has been accused of conspiring to steal $10 million invested through a Caribbean bank.
* 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.
* Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), the family-values conservative caught up in a prostitution scandal, was not only Giuliani’s top Senate backer, he was also the regional chairman of Giuliani’s campaign.
* Giuliani hired Russell Harding to run NYC’s Housing Development Corp, despite the fact that Harding had no college degree or background in housing and finance. (He was, however, the son of a prominent political backer whose support Giuliani sought to reward.) Harding later pled guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges, admitting to stealing more than $400,000 from the housing agency he once headed. (He was also caught possessing a disc filled with pornographic images of children.)
* And now, we can add Bob Asher, a convicted felon involved in a bribery scheme to win a state government contract.
Two weeks ago, former Solicitor General Ted Olson praised Giuliani as a man who has shown “the wisdom and humility to surround himself with talented, dedicated and energetic people.”
Hilarious.