Giuliani: A Presidential Mistress Could Get Security Detail Too
In a hypothetical Rudy Giuliani administration, the president's mistress would receive Secret Service protection if "the people who assess it come to the conclusion that it is necessary to do this."
Appearing on Meet the Press this morning, the Republican presidential candidate argued that high-profile figures receive high-profile threats, and as such, family and even extramarital associates are susceptible to the occasional danger.
Asked by host Tim Russert whether it would be "appropriate for a president to provide police protection for a mistress," Giuliani said it would, provided "someone has threatened to do harm."
"The reality is, it all came about because of my public position," the ex-mayor remarked, "because of the fact the when people are public or celebrities these kinds of threats take place."
Giuliani was being quizzed about why, in office, his then-girlfriend Judith Nathan received taxpayer-funded security detail and police chauffeuring, even though New York City law restricts those protections to the mayor's family.
Giuliani claimed that everything done for Nathan was based on a professional "threat assessment." Russert didn't ask why, if nothing was improper, Giuliani chose to hide the costs by billing them to obscure city agencies. But he did press Giuliani if the logic would apply to a president's mistress. The former mayor said no, before going on to detail why and when it would be appropriate.
Watch the video from Meet the Press:
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December 9, 2007 01:07 PM