Giuliani Exaggerating Interrogation Experience, Former Top Aide Says

A one-time member of Rudy Giuliani's inner circle said on Tuesday that the former New York City mayor is greatly exaggerating his understanding of torture and his experience with advanced interrogation.

Jerry Hauer, who served as New York's first director of emergency management, said the idea that Giuliani learned first-hand about aggressive interrogation techniques during his service as mayor is not only untrue but legally questionable.

"If Rudy is suggesting in any way that they used torture or aggressive interrogation in New York City then he is absolutely unfit to be president," Hauer told the Huffington Post, "because torture in a local jurisdiction is, first of all, illegal. Secondly, it is inhumane. It is not something that is done at the local level."

On the campaign trail, Giuliani has highlighted his work as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York as a period when he dealt directly with interrogation. This past weekend, however, in an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt, he insinuated that his experience as mayor of New York offered even more direct understanding of the issue.

MR. HUNT: Do you know more about torture than John McCain?

MR. GIULIANI: I can't say that I do but I do know a lot about intensive questioning and intensive questioning techniques. After all, I have had a different experience than John. John has never been - he has never run city, never run a state, never run a government. He has never been responsible as a mayor for the safety and security of millions of people, and he has never run a law enforcement agency, which I have done. Now, intensive questioning works. If I didn't use intensive questioning, there would be a lot of mafia guys running around New York right now and crime would be a lot higher in New York than it is.

Hauer dismissed the notion that aggressive interrogation was ever condoned or conducted by the Giuliani administration.

"That would have been absolutely disgraceful and a downright violation of everybody's constitutional liberties," Hauer said. "We were not at war in New York City. Being a suspected criminal is not the same as being a suspected terrorist. And even when they caught the terrorists that were going to blow up the subways [in August 1997], obviously there was interrogation but I never heard of anything involving aggressive techniques."

Other critics of the former mayor added that Giuliani is embellishing his resume as U.S. Attorney. Even in that position, they say, there would have be little or no direct involvement in aggressive interrogation.

"When you are a prosecutor and the United States attorney you don't question people," Giuliani biographer Wayne Barrett told the Huffington Post. "The FBI questions people. You just don't question them. That's just not a realistic assessment of what happens... I covered many of Giuliani's public corruption cases and I still think of him as a tremendous prosecutor, but the notion that he personally questioned any of the key individuals is baffling."

Comments

[MarcTheInfidel]

There are some that actually question what John McCain knows about torture. He is using it as a cornerstone to his candidacy all the while his senior officer in Vietnam states that he was never made aware of McCain being on the receiving end of torture while being held in Vietnam.

Has anyone ever noticed that McCain is the only one that talks about his torture?

This might enlighten some of you ...

http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/mccain.html

[DougIndeap]

Giuliani’s suggestion that he conducted “intensive questioning” and that the “line between [that and torture] is a difficult one” is not just exaggeration, it's plainly false.

In the context of law enforcement, use of any interrogation technique resulting in coercion of an involuntary confession would violate the 5th Amendment’s guarantee that “no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself in any criminal case.” Any statement resulting from such a technique would be thrown out of court. Any U.S. Attorney using such a technique would deserve to get fired for botching his job.

Also, a wide gulf, not a difficult line, separates even intensive law enforcement questioning from torture. Any manner of techniques may be coercive and thus unsuitable for law enforcement, yet not amount to torture and thus may be suitable for military interrogation.

Giuliani is so anxious to play the tough guy, he'll play fast and loose with the facts to make himself look like one.

[zendem1]

If Rudy and Pat Robertson are going to be pals, then Pat needs to tell Rudy that SantaJesus doesn't like it when he lies.

[Jacee]

All we need to know about the demise of the republican party, and hopefully for good, is that their front runner is a cross dressing sociopath. Don't get me wrong, cross dressers are not sociopaths. But Rudy is. He is hated by his immediate family, all three of them, New Yorkers in general, NYFD in particular. Those in his circle are all-to the person-crooks. He rolls out Bernie Keric this week like a long lost jilted lover from the past. Eeeeewwww. He loves the sound of, thought of, and act of torture, he giggles about it like he is Beevis or Butthead or both. He wants us to think he is all mobbed up, like he is channeling Tony Saprano. He lies without conscience and communicates like he still in Jr High. Way to go republicans...way to pick another role model that represents just how immoral and immature you really are.

[Kreskytim]

Did anyone see Chris Mathews wetting his pants over Rudy last night?. Mathews has some weird macho man crush on Rudy just like he did with George on the flight deck. Down right creepy.

[DSPinPW]

BIG BLOWHARD.
9/11!

[itsnotmyfault]

Their are really only two fundamental questions to ask about Rudy. First is he a compulsive liar who lies to agrandise himself in his own eyes and the eyes of others? Or is he entirely insane?

[ljsfolly]

Rudy is a lying fool! Why is he thinking that he can out torture someone who has really been in extreme conditions tortured? Is this somehow he badge of honor to say he has tortured people as a mayor? He wasn't even at the towers except when there was a photo op to be had. He spent more time at the ball games than supporting anyone at ground zero. If he had been a even decent mayor he would have spent the bucks to provide for the radios that might have kept some of the police and firefighters from dying. Their radios were crap that didn't work on a good day. Torture must be for those families he let down.

[gcswift2]

Why is there no commentary on the house vote to investigate Vice President Cheney towards articles of IMPEACHMENT?

[GeorgeVreelandHill]

Rudy Giuliani is no hero.
While he is often called the hero of 9/11, the truth is that Rudy was a terrible leader during his years as mayor of New York City.
He made bad decisions and took a girlfriend while being married.
In fact, he even wanted his lover to live in the same house with his wife.
Most people would call this perverted.
New Yorkers were so sick of his antics, that they wanted him out of office.
Then came 9/11.
The only reason people call Giuliani a hero today, is because he just happened to be NYC's mayor during that bad time.
Any mayor would be looked at as a hero if they showed their face under those circumstances.
If there was no 9/11, Rudy would have become a joke.
This is not the kind of leader we want in the White House.
In closing, the New York Post reported in their paper on April 23, that Giuliani spent more than $48,000 dollars of campaign money on posh hotels while claiming to have spent the least of all the Republican candidates.
Rudy is a good time leader, and does it with other people's money.

George Vreeland Hill

[Swordfish]

Let's take Rudy at his word.
Ask DoJ to review all Rudy's convictions as U.S. Attorney, looking specifically for evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.

... well, maybe the NEXT DoJ...

[avidobserver]

Giuliani is a SCUMBAG!! Plain and simple! It's hard for me to believe there are people who consider this man presidential material?

[white mende man]

Vote for Rudy Giuliani and the Terrorists Win

[StillAmused]

Rudy who?

[loki]

Everything about Guiliani is an exaggeration.