GIULIANI

A veteran political reporter ventures an answer to the question so many have asked in recent years about Rudy Giuliani: “What happened?”

The life and work of Giuliani are tragic by definition, since they mark the collapse of a once upright man who fell victim to his own ambitions and imagined himself above the law. Taking a page from Giuliani’s own strongly Catholic upbringing, Kirtzman—who first met Giuliani as a journalist in 1992—frames the matter as a moral issue, “the result of a series of moral compromises made over the years as the temptations of power and money grew.” Even his victories, such as his seemingly steady leadership after 9/11, were so compromised—in that case, by “his administration’s ineptitude,” made evident by the fact that a badly cobbled communication system made it impossible for first responders to share information. Outwardly cheerful, Giuliani, “had a dark, Machiavellian streak, yet managed to wrap his problematic acts in a cloak of righteousness.” Giuliani’s apparent belief in his own moral invincibility led him to questionable acts even while the memory of 9/11 was fresh. For example, he became counsel and de facto lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, “earning millions by protecting a company whose actions were contributing to the overdose deaths of America’s young people.” All that pales next to his relationship with and actions on behalf of Donald Trump, which extend far into the past. Kirtzman deserves much credit for following the trail to Giuliani’s mayoral terms, when he helped Trump shortcut zoning issues to build behemoth towers. Giuliani’s final collapse, of course, came when he helped with Trumpian grifts, from trying to bully Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden to contesting the 2020 election. Giuliani’s take might well stand as a motto for his entire sordid trajectory: “My attitude about my legacy…is ‘fuck it.’ ”

A sad tale, expertly told, of corruption, bad judgment, avarice, and treason.