Rudy Giuliani during the September 11 attacks
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As Mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001, Rudy Giuliani played a major role in the response to the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center towers in the city.
Preparedness before the attacks
Location of Office of Emergency Management headquarters
In September 2006,
In May 2007, Giuliani put responsibility for selecting the location on
Radio communications
The
Fire Department chiefs issued orders for the firefighters to evacuate. However, the order was issued over the radios that were not working in the towers, thus, the 343 firefighters inside the Twin Towers could not hear the evacuation order. They remained in the towers as the towers collapsed.[13][14] However, when Giuliani testified before the 9/11 Commission he said that the firefighters ignored the evacuation order out of an effort to save lives.[15][16]
Also criticized was Giuliani's focus on personal projects and turf wars rather than vital precautions for the city, and his role in communications failures (which may have been the result of patronage deals inside City Hall). Kirkus Reviews stated, "Giuliani may not have been directly responsible for all those woes, but they happened on his watch".[17]
At the scene
During the attack
During the attack, Giuliani may have been near the WTC towers.[citation needed] Interviews with Barry Jennings,[citation needed] a 9/11 survivor of the tower 7 crash, reveal that Giuliani may have been in tower 7 on the day of the attacks, but exited the building hours before collapse. Additionally, in an interview with ABC News[citation needed] on the day of the attacks, Giuliani indicated that he was "at the scene" saying: "We went down to the scene and we set up headquarters at 75 Barclay Street which was right there with the police commissioner [and] the fire commissioner and the head of emergency management. And we were operating out of there when we were told that the World Trade Center was gonna collapse, and it did collapse before we could actually get out of the building so we were trapped in the building for 10-15 minutes and finally found an exit, got out, walked North, took a lot of people with us."[citation needed]
After the attack
Giuliani was highly visible in the aftermath of the
When
There is no moral equivalent for this [terrorist] act. There is no justification for it... And one of the reasons I think this happened is because people were engaged in moral equivalency in not understanding the difference between liberal democracies like the United States, like Israel, and terrorist states and those who condone terrorism. So I think not only are those statements wrong, they're part of the problem.[18]
Giuliani subsequently rejected the prince's $10 million donation to disaster relief in the aftermath of the attack.[18]
Giuliani claimed on August 9, 2007, that "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most workers.... I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them." This angered NY Fire and Police personnel 911 workers.[19][20][21] A New York Times study a week later found that he spent a total of 29 hours over three months at the site; his appointment logs were unavailable for the six days immediately following the attacks. This contrasted with recovery workers at the site who spent this much time at the site in two to three days. The recovery workers often spent hundreds of hours working 8- to 12-hour shifts.[22]
"America's Mayor"
In the wake of the attacks, Giuliani was hailed by many for his leadership during the crisis. When polled just six weeks after the attack Giuliani received a 79% approval rating among New York City voters, a dramatic increase over the 36% rating he had received a year earlier — seven years into his administration.[23][24]
In his public statements, Giuliani mirrored the emotions of New Yorkers after the September 11 attacks: shock, sadness, anger, resolution to rebuild, and the desire for justice to be done to those responsible. "Tomorrow New York is going to be here", he said. "And we're going to rebuild, and we're going to be stronger than we were before...I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can't stop us."[25] Giuliani was widely praised by some for his close involvement with the rescue and recovery efforts, but others, including many police, rescue workers, and families of WTC victims argue that "Giuliani has exaggerated the role he played after the terrorist attacks, casting himself as a hero for political gain."[26]
As an avid and public fan of the New York Yankees, who won four World Series Championships during his time as mayor, Giuliani was frequently sighted at Yankee games, often accompanied by his son. On September 21, 2001, the first game was played in New York City after the attacks, with the New York Mets at home facing the Atlanta Braves. Despite him being a Yankee fan, the crowd cheered for him and for his leadership over the preceding days.[27]
The term "America's Mayor", now in common usage among Giuliani supporters, was coined by Oprah Winfrey at a 9/11 memorial service held at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2001.[18][28]
Mayoral term extension proposal
The 9/11 attack occurred on the scheduled date of the mayoral primary to select the Democratic and Republican candidates to succeed Giuliani. The primary was immediately delayed two weeks to September 25. During this period, Giuliani sought an unprecedented three-month emergency extension of his term, from its scheduled expiration on January 1 to April 1, due to the circumstances of the emergency besetting the city.[29] He threatened to challenge the law imposing term limits on elected New York City officials and run for another full four-year term, if the primary candidates did not consent to permit the extension of his mayoralty.[30]
Advocates for the extension contended that Giuliani was needed to manage the initial requests for funds from
Although a provision for emergency extensions is written into the New York State Constitution (Article 3 Section 25),[31] in the end leaders in the State Assembly and Senate indicated that they did not believe the extension was necessary.[32] The election proceeded as scheduled, and the winning candidate, the Giuliani-endorsed Republican Michael Bloomberg, took office on January 1, 2002, per normal custom.
Time Person of the Year
On December 24, 2001,
Handling of the Ground Zero air quality issue
Giuliani has been subject to increased criticism for downplaying the
Firefighters, police and their unions, have criticized Giuliani over the issue of protective equipment and illnesses after the attacks.
A May 14, 2007 New York Times article, "Ground Zero Illness Clouding Giuliani's Legacy," gave the interpretation that thousands of workers at Ground Zero have become sick and that "many regard Mr. Giuliani's triumph of leadership as having come with a human cost." The article reported that Giuliani seized control of the cleanup of Ground Zero, taking control away from experienced federal agencies, such as the
Giuliani wrote to the city's Congressional delegation and urged that the city's liability for Ground Zero illnesses be limited, in total, at $350 million. Two years after Giuliani finished his term, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appropriated $1 billion to a special insurance fund to protect the city against 9/11 lawsuits.[43]
In 2007, then-Senator
In June 2007, former Republican Governor of New Jersey and director of the
Aftermath of Ground Zero recovery effort
In February 2007, the
9/11 Commission and family protests
A book later published by Commission members
Some family members of 9/11 victims have openly criticized Giuliani for the significant communication failures that occurred on that day, believing that the lack of working walkie-talkies put the lives of first responders in significant danger. They say that the lack of radios had been a complaint of emergency services responders for years but was never dealt with and led to deaths of first responders in building collapses for which they should have been warned.[52] In December 2006, Sally Regenhard, mother of firefighter Christian Regenhard who died on September 11, and co-founder of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, vowed to expose the truths of Giuliani's actions on 9/11 before 2008, stating, "I can't see why any 9/11 family member who knows the truth about the failures of the Giuliani administration ... would not be outraged."[53] She said in April 2007, "The bitter truth is that Rudy Giuliani is building a path to the White House over the bodies of 343 firefighters."[52]
By April 2007 it was reported that Giuliani had been forced to limit his appearances in New York City due to the increasing protests by family members of 9/11 victims, particularly police, fire and other emergency workers.[52]
References
- ^ "Rudy's Grand Illusion". Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved September 6, 2006.
- ^ "World Trade Center: Profile". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Open and Shut". Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Transcript: Rudy Giuliani on Fox News Sunday". May 14, 2007. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Then why did he say the building — he said it's not — the place in Brooklyn is not as visible a target as buildings in Lower Manhattan
- ^ audio and video from interview available on Robert Greenwald's "The REAL Rudy: Command Center"
- ^ Buettner, Russ (May 22, 2007). "Onetime Giuliani Insider Is Now a Critic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Angry Giuliani Aide Lashes Back". The New York Times. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ Barrett, Wayne; Collins, Dan (September 11, 2006). "The Real Rudy". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
The image of Rudy Giuliani as the hero of September 11 has never been seriously challenged. That changes now.
- ^ "Giuliani Blames Aide for Poor Emergency Planning". New York. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Giuliani Faces 9/11 Questions". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "ABC News". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Urban Legend video, https://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3367678 Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NY firefighters attack Giuliani". July 12, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Kevin Baker, "A Fate Worse than Bush: Rudy Giuliani and the Politics of Personality," Harpers, August 2007, p. 37, citing Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, 102 Minutes (Times Books, 2002)
- ^ Weiner, Jon (August 1, 2007). "Rudy: Worse than Bush?". Alternet. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007.
- ^ "THE GRAND ILLUSION: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11". Kirkus Reviews. Vol. 74, no. 14. July 15, 2006. p. 707. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Giuliani rejects $10 million from Saudi prince". CNN. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ Katz, Celeste (August 10, 2007). "9/11 workers outraged by new Rudy claim". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Quaid, Libby (August 12, 2007). "Giuliani in firing line". Sunday Herald Sun. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Sewell, Dan (August 10, 2007). "Giuliani's 'I'm one of them' remark angers 9-11 workers". The Cincinnati Post (Associated Press). E. W. Scripps Company. p. A1.
The former New York mayor has faced criticism from relatives of some of the firefighters killed at the World Trade Center, who have contended that Giuliani was woefully unprepared for 9-11.
- New York Times. Archived from the originalon January 16, 2018.
- ^ Quinnipiac University Poll, published October 24, 2001. Accessed March 4, 2007. Archived September 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New York State (NY) Poll * March 2, 2000 * Giuliani Leads Clinton 48-41 P - Quinnipiac University Archived January 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Person Of The Year 2009". Time. December 22, 2001. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ Wilson, Michael (June 17, 2007). "New York Times article". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Mets pull within 4½ on emotional night". Associated Press for ESPN. September 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
- ^ "City Mourns at Stadium Prayer Service". Archived from the original on November 9, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
- ^ "Giuliani wants to delay departure as mayor". CNN.
- ^ PÉREZ-PEÑA, RICHARD (October 2, 2001). "Giuliani's Quest for a Term Extension Hits a Wall in Albany". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Content Removed". Archived from the original on November 13, 2002. Retrieved November 15, 2005.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (October 13, 2001). "Giuliani Is Resolute on Extending His Term". The New York Times.
- ^ "Mornings With Paula Zahn". CNN. February 7, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "TIME 2001 Person of the Year: Rudy Giuliani Profile". Time. December 22, 2001. Archived from the original on October 22, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2005.
- ^ "Washington Post Book World Sept 3, 2006". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c Smith, Ben (September 18, 2006). "Rudy's Black Cloud". New York Daily News. p. 14.
- ^ Gates, Anita (September 11, 2006). "Buildings Rise from Rubble while Health Crumbles". The New York Times., reporting on the documentary "Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11"
- ^ a b c "AlterNet: Special Coverage: 9/11: One Year Later". Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ C&En: Cover Story - Chemical Analysis Of A Disaster
- ^ Democracy Now! | New Yorkers Tell Federal Officials To Stop Ignoring 9/11's Health Effects Archived November 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Village Voice August 8–14, 2007, p. 35-36. "Village voice > news > Rudy's Five Big Lies About 9/11 by Wayne Barrett . with special research assistance by Alexandra Kahan". Archived from the originalon November 9, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ "Deseret Morning News | Giuliani will miss firefighters event". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ a b DePalma, Anthony (May 14, 2007). "Ground Zero Illness Clouding Giuliani's Legacy". The New York Times.
- ^ "Macho Mistakes at Ground Zero". The New York Times. May 22, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ a b Wallsten, Peter (April 8, 2007). "Giuliani foes plan to use 9/11 against him". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "Potential Clinton-Giuliani Battle Brews Over 9/11 Health Issues". The New York Sun. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Taibbi, Matt (June 14, 2007). "Giuliani: Worse Than Bush: He's cashing in on 9/11, working with Karl Rove's henchmen and in cahoots with a Swift Boat-style attack on Hillary. Will Rudy Giuliani be Bush III?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008.
- ^ Nichols, Adam (June 23, 2007). "Christie blasts Rudy on WTC air". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Murray, Mark (June 25, 2007). "Pushing Back Against Whitman". Archived from the original on November 10, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
- ^ "Firefighters union assails Giuliani". CNN. March 10, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Timothy (August 6, 2006). "9/11 Commissioners Say They Went Easy on Giuliani to Avoid Public's Anger". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ a b c Saltonstall, David (April 24, 2007). "Rudy gets earful at stop here: Some FDNY survivors rally against him". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on May 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Rudy's 9/11 Snag: Dissent WTC Kin: We'll Bare the Ugly Truth for '08". Archived from the original on July 4, 2009.