Regan throws kerosene on Kerik/Giuliani fire

November 14, 2007

In the sordid scandal surrounding Rudy Giuliani and Bernie Kerik, celebrity book publisher Judith Regan has always been an embarrassing side note. After 9/11, a wealthy real estate developer donated use of a Manhattan apartment to the city, so relief workers could have a place to rest. Instead, Kerik used the apartment as a love nest for an extramarital affair with Regan (among other women). Their relationship ended when Regan found a love note to Kerik in the apartment from a female city employee. (Kerik allegedly proceeded to stalk Regan and her kids.)

But Regan’s role the broader scandal is about to become quite a bit more dramatic — and drag Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. into the debacle.

Judith Regan, the former book publisher, says in a lawsuit filed yesterday protesting her dismissal by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate, that a senior executive there encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Bernard B. Kerik after he had been nominated to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post. […]

In the civil complaint filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Ms. Regan says the company has long sought to promote Mr. Giuliani’s ambitions. But the lawsuit does not elaborate on that charge, identify the executive who she says pressured her to mislead investigators, or offer details to support her claim.

A Regan attorney said his client has evidence to support her claim that News Corp. encouraged her to lie to federal investigators, but it’s not clear what that evidence includes.

This is probably not the distraction the Giuliani campaign was hoping for.

Indeed, it’s tough to identify who’s hurt most by Regan’s charges, Giuliani or News Corp., which of course is the notorious owner of the Fox News Channel.

The Republican news network is directed by Roger Ailes, a close Giuliani ally who used to work for the presidential hopeful’s mayoral campaign. Later, Giuliani officiated at Ailes’ wedding.

Given this, and the network’s absurd coverage of Giuliani’s presidential campaign, is it really a stretch to think News Corp. might encourage Regan to keep her embarrassing secrets to herself?

Mark Kleiman emphasizes that we’re not just talking about a partisan network trying to help a favored candidate — if a News Corp. executive encouraged Regan to lie to federal investigators, that’s obstruction of justice.

Now why, you may ask, should anyone believe anything Judith Regan says? I’m glad you asked that question. Her lawyers must surely have known, and told her, that she was making charges of criminal activity, and that if she testifies to those incidents in her civil case she will probably have a chance to testify again, in front of a grand jury. And that if her grand jury testimony doesn’t match her civil-trial testimony she could well be joining her ex-lover behind bars.

Stories like these are why the phrase “pass the popcorn” was invented.

bring.it.on.

bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…..seriously, this is going to be the most entertainment going once the negotiations start. and what proof could regan have — was she taping those conversations with news corp execs or does she have emails… and keep in mind this would have been in 2004 when regan was riding high in the murdoch organization. her implosion didn’t happen until last year with the o.j. book.

  • Good grief, what next? Will they catch that Monsignor friend of his lurking in a public school bathroom? Will Ghoulie flip out and run down the street clad only in a marabou fringed nightie and a pair of mules? Stay Tuned for the next exciting episode of Mayor of America!

    Looked at from a political perspective, if Ghoulie can get the nomination it would show that Das Base really is irrelevant in American politics.

    Looked at from an economic perspective, Ghoulie can always get rich selling his story as a soap opera.

  • I frankly can’t see how close associates’ ties to organized crime could possibly be as relevant to our national political discussion as Clinton’s cleavage or Edwards haircuts.

  • I still want to know, what was a good looking woman like Regan doing with an average looking guy like Kerik?

    But yeah, this is an entertaining if absurdly embarrassing story. Like you, I want to give her the credibility advantage because, as you said, she is certainly aware that bullshitting here would make her go to jail. I’m just kind of confused about one thing: why would she even need to lie? Was this affair going to come out as some sort of character problem, or was there an issue about breaking the law that I am forgetting about?

  • On November 14th, 2007 at 8:57 am, Brian said:
    I still want to know, what was a good looking woman like Regan doing with an average looking guy like Kerik?

    Not old enough to remember the heyday of Henry Kissinger, are you;>

    “Power is the greatest aphrodisiac”

  • Linda @1

    You said it all!

    When sleaze is funny…

    Democrats don’t need to conduct an opposing campaign against Giuliani. His friends and acquaintances will do it for them. Giuliani probably supports his fellow-adulterer because of their shared affinity.

    I’ll share my Goobers with the person who brings popcorn!

  • The real lives of power-chasers can be stranger than fiction, and that’s why I’ve got my popcorn ready! -Kevo

  • Brian

    The link to the NY Times report fills in some details.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/business/14regan.html?hp

    She was fired from her job at HarperCollins/News Corporation after an altercation involving a book about OJ Simpson she was working on. It looks like she’s claiming wrongful discharge. The report mentions the lawsuit was filed on the basis of “improper removal” from her job.

    To bolster her case, she’s apparently thrown in a kitchen sinkful of damaging claims and is using information she has about News Corporation and its support of Giuliani to support those claims. One of her claims, apparntly the most news-worthy because it involves Giuliani, is that a senior company exectuvie advised her to lie about her affair with Bernie Kerik when he was being considered for Homeland Security secretary to protect Giuliani. Nothing in the Times report indicates she did lie.

    I gotta agree with you. That Kerik is one UGLY dude as well as being sleazy, and any woman who’d have a go at him has got to be missing something upstairs. But maybe Regan couldn’t find anybody else, being in such a high-powered job. Maureen Dowd has a recent column discussing a study about male attitudes toward female power-types, and Regan may be one of them: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/opinion/14dowd.html?ref=opinion

    Anyway, we seem to be in the midst of the curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

  • “Not old enough to remember the heyday of Henry Kissinger, are you;>”

    Apparently not. (I’ll be 23 tomorrow.) So please, fill me in.

    “She was fired from her job at HarperCollins/News Corporation after an altercation involving a book about OJ Simpson she was working on. It looks like she’s claiming wrongful discharge. The report mentions the lawsuit was filed on the basis of “improper removal” from her job.”

    Ah, now I remember. It’s been over a year since these allegations came out, I believe. I think it was the first time I realized that Giuliani doesn’t surround himself with the Grade A characters. Of course, mobbed up former corrections officers somehow seem only a little bit less savory than cocaine peddlers, bigots, and accused child molesters.

    “One of her claims, apparntly the most news-worthy because it involves Giuliani, is that a senior company exectuvie advised her to lie about her affair with Bernie Kerik when he was being considered for Homeland Security secretary to protect Giuliani. Nothing in the Times report indicates she did lie.”

    I just find it odd that such emphasis would be placed on lying about an affair, unless there was some other angle to it. Even the fact that they used an apartment meant for 9/11 rescue workers doesn’t seem to merit such obfuscation.

  • I think this warrants more than popcorn. I’d say bring out the marshmallows for the bonfire!!

  • I’m curious to know why so much of News Corps has such a cozy relationship with Giuliani. Is it a spiritual kinship, or has Giuliani expressed a desire to help promote News Corps business growth?

  • Mike Kuykendall

    So she’s including a charge of defamation in her lawsuit, too? I guess a hundred mil in damages would need to be based on something other than “improper discharge”!

    Yep, this is gonna’ be fun unless something else eclipses it.

  • While Regan isn’t really someone deserving of heroic stature, it’s really bugging me how many of the media reports emphasizing she got canned over the O.J. book fiasco leave out or forget that there also was a planned Fox network TV special to go with it. It’s not like Regan came up with the entire O.J. book idea in a vaccuum since she had no authority over what Fox Broadcasting puts on the air.

  • The talking heads on MSNBC were dismissing Regan’s affect on Guiliani’s campaign.

    Guiliani’s campaign has had SO many implodable moments in the past year or so, with many potential ones to come, and NOTHING so far has slowed him down with the Republican “base”, who seem to be on-going in their enthusiasm for “America’s Mayor”.

    It’s all very confusing, and I wouldn’t be so quick to bring the marshmallows or popcorn.

  • bernie kerik already looks like he’s been pumping iron in the prison yard, so it’d be real interesting if judy’s proof includes videotape. maybe we’ll get to see if bernie’s been taking steroids to get that buff.

  • Looks aside, Regan is fully as disgusting a human being as Kerik.

    Though neither of them can hold a candle to Ailes, who’s as physically repulsive as he is morally odious. Certain Republicans actually seem like living manifestations of the universe’s disgust with our behavior: he’s in that group, snug with Rove, Bolton, DeLay and so many others who have defaced our national life in recent years. It would be very gratifying to see him burn over this latest disgrace.

  • The possibility that NewsCorp, FoxNoise, and Rupert could be tied to actual criminal activities is enough to make me drool with delight. It’s as if someone has decided that I get to have the big chunks of red meat thrown in my direction for once.

    Consider the possibilities, when a Democratic administration, backed by a Democratic Justice Dept., a Democratic Congress, and a Democratic FCC/FTC/FEC conglomerate decide to pursue such activities. Mega-billion-dollar fines, stripped broadcast licenses, and hefty prison terms all around.

    Popcorn? We don’t need no stinking popcorn. I don’t care if there’s a freaking blizzard outside when it happens—I’m breaking out the barbecue!!!

  • Republicans always attempt to smear their Democratic critics by claiming they engage in the “politics of personal destruction.” No wonder they’re so smug: for these guys it’s a business.

    Murdoch got some sweet tax breaks and other government candy from Giuliani while he was NYC mayor. Murdoch, Ailes and Rudy aren’t even ideological soulmates as much as business partners. Judith Regan was the sacrificial lamb on an embarassing business deal crafted from on high. Looking at Regan’s claims, it looks like the whole crew regularly acts like organized crime characters, not just Kerik. Glad to see NewsCorp getting exposed for an organization that manufactures “news” rather than reporting it.

  • Okay, I’m with you Steve – why settle on popcorn when this story will most surely provide enough entertainment for a full-fledged feast of barbeque. Tri-tip or mignon? -Kevo

  • “Consider the possibilities, when a Democratic administration, backed by a Democratic Justice Dept., a Democratic Congress, and a Democratic FCC/FTC/FEC conglomerate decide to pursue such activities. Mega-billion-dollar fines, stripped broadcast licenses, and hefty prison terms all around.”

    I don’t think I’d want to consider a “Democratic everything” just as I didn’t like what happened when the Republicans could have a good amount of their wishes rubberstamped. Just because you don’t like the current administration, you can’t really believe that Democratic control across the board will mean that suddenly the government will act in the best interest of the people as opposed to the politicians? Politicians, for the most part, do not set the people’s needs above their own…no matter the flavor.

    So, break out the popcorn, if you will. Enjoy the game…root that your “team” will control everything. You still won’t benefit.

  • Think Progress notes that when Fox was coming into the market, Time-Warner did not have room for it and refused to carry it. Roger Ailes contacted Mayor Il Duche and he intervened on Fox’s behalf. So their ties go back many years. May Judith’s tapes become “the ties that bind” Rudy amd Rupert and Roger.

    Methinks, Karma has a liberal bias, too. Not just facts.

  • And these are the advocates of “law and order”, right? — George Arndt, @27

    Yup. Of the well-known “ordnung muß sein” variety.

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