Profiles In Hypocrisy: Rudy Giuliani

November 16, 2009  |  Posted by Danielle Belton

Last Friday Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees would be brought to New York City to face trial for the attacks on 9/11. Finally, some justice for the nearly 3,000 people who perished that day in 2001 and for their families. Finally, those accused of responsibility for the crime would be prosecuted.

But rather than applaud justice being done, the right wing immediately launched into a string of attacks on the president and the plan.

Case in point? Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani:

“It gives an unnecessary advantage to the terrorists and why would you want to give an advantage to the terrorists, and it poses risks for New York.”

But where was all this outrage in 2006 when President Bush’s administration convicted 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and sent him to the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado?

It turns out, in May of 2006, Republicans were largely silent when Moussaoui was convicted. Most were preoccupied with the immigration debate – not fighting to prevent Moussaoui from being locked up in Colorado. Then Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez seemed fine with it. As well as countless other “law and order” Republicans.

Including Mr. Law and Order Republican himself, Rudy Giuliani.

Under a Republican President, he supported the federal prosecutions:

“(The Moussaoui verdict) does show that we have a legal system, that we follow it, that we respect it," Giuliani said. “I've been a lawyer for more of my life than anything else and I respect a jury's verdict."

Funny how time (and a Democratic administration) changes everything.

Now Giuliani is going on shows like CNN’s State of the Union and ABC’s This Week to put down the same justice system he once praised.

“Our federal system has an enormously protracted process that’s going to go on forever … It grants more benefits than a military tribunal will grant. There’s always the possibility of acquittal, change of venue.”

So for Giuliani, Moussaoui’s conviction was proof the system he once worked for as a prosecutor was a success. But now, under the Obama Administration, he’s suddenly fearful that his old stomping grounds can’t handle the heat. Civil courts suddenly go from being proof that we “have a legal system, that we follow it, that we respect it” to putting an entire city at risk. Why the sudden outrage? Because fear is the only card they have left to play. They can’t argue that civil courts can’t get the job done. They convicted Moussaoui. They’ve convicted 195 terrorists since 2001. (Compared to military commissions, which have only convicted three.) If you want to see justice served, this is the best way to go, yet so many Republicans suddenly fear an option we’ve already utilized.

Someone needs a history lesson … and it’s not just Giuliani.

Other conservatives are also working to stop President Obama from trying Gitmo detainees in the U.S. Check back tomorrow to read about Senators James Inhofe and Jim DeMint’s plans to introduce two separate amendments to an appropriations bill this week in the hope that they can slow down the president’s progress on closing Guantanamo and score some political points.

blog comments powered by Disqus