Giuliani Faces Investigation Of 9/11 Radios

In the midst of his presidential candidacy, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani now faces a looming government investigation into his handling of the radios used by firefighters on 9/11.

The investigation, which will examine how the FDNY ended up using faulty equipment during the terrorist attacks and why Giuliani gave a no-bid contract to Motorola for that equipment, has been endorsed by New York City Councilman Eric Gioia, chair of the city's oversight and investigations committee.

"I will do everything in my power to get answers, to get the truth," said Gioia, a Democrat. "These families deserve answers and really the entire city and our country deserve answers."

Calls for an investigation were first proposed by filmmaker Robert Greenwald who has documented Giuliani's handling of 9/11 in a series of shorts for Brave New Films. In The Real Rudy: Radios, Greenwald documents how radios used by the FDNY on 9/11 were the same ones that malfunctioned during the 1993 attack on the Twin Towers. When - eight years later - Giuliani finally purchased new communications equipment for $14 million from Motorola, it was never field-tested. A week later, the equipment was recalled after a firefighter's mayday went un-heard. Giuliani reissued the old batch of radios. And on 9/11 when a police helicopter warned that the North Tower could collapse, more than 120 firefighters remained inside.

"To know that we had failing radios in 1993 and did virtually nothing until September 11 is shocking to say the least," said Gioia. "To watch this documentary and see the important questions that were asked and seemingly unanswered and ignored for so many years, it's disturbing."

More than 20,000 people signed a petition demanding an investigation into Giuliani's handling of the FDNY radios. In an interview posted on YouTube, Gioia confirmed that he will take the steps to initiate public hearings, including sending out letters to fellow council members and requesting pertinent documents. Greenwald praised the initial steps forward.

"Brave New Films is thrilled with Councilman Gioia's response to our petition for a City Council investigation into Giuliani's failure to equip firefighters with the radios they needed on 9/11," Greenwald told the Huffington Post. "The groundswell of support for our petition shows the depth of Americans' desire for accountability."

Comments

[navalvet]

Some years, ago, I was at the New York City Labor Day Parade, probably 2002 or 2003, standing with my union brothers and sisters, when Giuliani walked by, to the applause of many. I turned to a former vice president, who like me, had not applauded. He said that Giuliani did not deserve the applause of working men and women, especially over 9/11.

Giuliani is a legend in his own mind, who whose success has been the creation of an unthinking and manipulated press.

[sugarmoes]

he confiscated them all so he could have his rudy/judy calls all over town on emergency radios.

[jerzeegirl]

If you want to get the whole story about the radios and the no-bid contract, you should read Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 by Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins. There is a chapter that cover the radios and they go into tremendous detail. This book is fantastic.

[Don the Anti-Terror-Dolphin]

smack down

heh...

[white mende man]

Rudy says we go to 9/11 with the equipment we have not the equipment we like

[RecklessAbandonArteest]

Can they hold off on this until Rudy wins the nomination. I want this to surface in the public eye so it "swift boats" the Repub presidential candidate.

I am still looking for my DVD where I have recordings of the firefighters using the radios in the tower BEFORE the collapse, where some of those in the film died.

They can be seen complaining about the radios. I want to have them use the clips on national TV if Rudy is the candidate.

[getoffmedz]

Rudy Giuliani shits little 9/11s.

[Darwinita]

The more national exposure he gets, the more his warts and all will show. The soft focus attention that he's been basking in now will start to pull, and the harsh light of the facts will scare even the flyover voters.

You watch. The beginning of his end is upon us.

[lornejl]

There are audio clips of Rudy out there, where he defends torture,and the unitary presidency in a very startiling way, he isn't hiding it, he is in fact running on it, be afraid of this fuck, be very afraid.

[prestodan]

Poor Rudy - the facts may actually get in the way of his carefully crafted image as Mr. 9/11! The conservatives just hate how that keeps happening to them! Maybe Rumsfeld can help him with some of that bumper sticker slogan talk - like "Vote for Rudy! Without Me, 9/11 May Never Have Been the Transfixing National Tragedy We Conservatives Still Exploit Every Chance We Get!"
Maybe that's too wordy...

[Navy26Yrs]

Rudy bights the dust before the primaries.

When more and more of this guy's egomaniacal personality comes out - or is a non-priable portion of the American majority's psyche - the better. Ya think shrub is an idiot? Talk with anyone who lived in NYC while he was Mayor. They will tell you the truth about this whack job of a candidate.

Fits the rightist elite's agenda though...another reason he has not a chance to be elected. Try dog catcher of Boise, Idaho Rudy.

(Sorry Boise)

[CessnaDriver]

Here's a little background on Rudy's day...

There is little more irrelevant on an election day when the city picks a new mayor than the old, termed-out mayor...so....

Rudy, ever the egotist, scheduled a big press event on the morning of election day, a ceremony to dedicate a statue of Jackie Robinson near the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. There was no reason whatsoever to have that ceremony on Election Day, other than to keep Rudy's mug on the news.

In the middle of the continental breakfast at City Hall for the politicians and the press, the first plane hit tower one.

One of the things that the republifascists want us to swallow is that there was no reason at that time to believe a jetliner hitting the building was a terroist attack, and not just an accident. Horse Hockey! It should have been the first thought.

But Rudy, ever the narcisist, thought, "Oh my God! This event might take the focus off of Rudy!"

So, Mayor Moron decided, instead of dealing with the crisis and getting the city on the war plan, to walk over to the WTC-press in tow-to see if he could help out! And, if he got is picture taken in front of the damaged building, so be it...a small sacrifice to make for America's Mayor!

Apparently, he damned near got hit by a jumper!

At the moment of truth, when it was most important for Rudy to jump into action to help save the city, he posed for the cameras.

Expose this idiot! Cicero, he is not.

[hopeless277]

They can investigate all they want. Just remember, he's a Republican. And as we all have learned, Republicans rarely get prosecuted. And even if he's disgraced, the Republican machine will see to it that he's appointed president anyway. Has no on else noticed that we live in a one party police state now?

[cynicism101]

No-bid contract to Motorolla - so, moto is the primary supplier for most municipalities and government services.

Did nothing, really? Replacing an old analog Sabre system with a new digital XTS3500s is "virtually nothing"?

wow - I guess I grew up in a world where upgrading technology is indeed "doing something". But, I also don't rely upon political agendas to tell me about technology.

[robertogt]

Radios? Are you kidding me or what? The whole 911 was an inside job,Rudy included. This is the same as trying Charles Manson with jaywalking. Come on folks