Rudy Giuliani secretly asked for the 2001 elections to be called off so he could stay NYC mayor after the 9/11 attacks, ex-governor says
- Former New York Gov. George Pataki's claimed that Rudy Giuliani asked for the New York City mayoral elections to be canceled in 2001 so he could stay on after 9/11.
- In an excerpt from his memoir shared with the New York Post, Pataki said Giuliani told him, "Governor, you have extraordinary powers to extend my term in office."
- Pataki turned down the request, knowing it was a "bad idea both as a matter of principle and politically," he wrote.
- Giuliani has denied the claims, saying "No. 1, even if it was true, he betrayed a private conversation. No. 2, it didn't happen."
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Wanting to stay on as New York City mayor after the terror attacks on 9/11, Rudy Giuliani made a covert request of then-Gov. George Pataki.
He asked for the 2001 mayoral elections to be canceled, Pataki alleges in an upcoming memoir titled "Beyond the Great Divide: How A Nation Became A Neighborhood," according to an excerpt reviewed by the New York Post.
Giuliani made the pitch during a "private meeting" at Manhattan's Pier 92 after a press conference on Sept. 24, 2001, with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Pataki and Giuliani were accompanied by Giuliani's lawyer, Denny Young, and Pataki's counsel, Jim McGuire. After the "usual formalities," he "dropped a bomb," Pataki recalled.
"Governor, you have extraordinary powers to extend my term in office," Giuliani said, he wrote.
Pataki, also a Republican, admitted that he did momentarily consider altering New York City's mayor term limit, which currently allows two consecutive four-year stints, so Giuliani could run a third time.
But his "heart sank," Pataki wrote, because he was aware that it "bad idea both as a matter of principle and politically."
'Absolutely not! I never asked him to do it.'
Upon getting wind of Pataki's claims, Giuliani vehemently denied ever making such a request.
"I did not ask George to extend my term," he told the Post on Wednesday. "Absolutely not! I never asked him to do it. It's bulls---. George is looking to sell a book about something that didn't happen."
He went on to express surprise at Pataki, saying that he "thought he was a friend" and he "should be ashamed of himself."
Giuliani added: "No. 1, even if it was true, he betrayed a private conversation. No. 2, it didn't happen."
Conceding that his team mulled over the idea for "two days," Giuliani insisted, "I never made the decision to do it. I didn't do it. I didn't like the idea."
'For God's sake, you're a prosecutor! You know the law.'
In his book, Pataki shared a different version of the story.
Giuliani's team had already launched an "off-the-radar public relations campaign," trying to "influence lawmakers through the media," but to no avail. That likely prompted him to turn to Pataki in a last-ditch effort, the book goes on to say.
Pataki recalled that his "mind raced" after being asked the question. He also wrestled with himself, thinking, "Are you really, right now, after a terror attack on our state, our city, asking me to just cancel the entire election? I am a conservative. We respect the law. For God's sake, you're a prosecutor! You know the law."
Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and now a personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, filled the silence that followed, the book says.
"Governor, you have the power to change the city charter to allow for me, as mayor in this time of crisis, to have an extended term," he said, according to Pataki, who added that he turned down Giuliani's request.
"I don't think I can do that, Rudy," Pataki recalled saying. "It's not a good idea for you or the city, and I think it's beyond even my emergency legal authority to do this."
Unwilling to back down, Giuliani "excitedly fired back," claiming that Young thought Pataki did, in fact, "have the ability" to make the change, Pataki said.
'He believed staying in office was best for the city. I was sure it wasn't.'
So Pataki said he would let McGuire and Young talk about the issue. Giuliani's team "pushed the issue with my staff" for multiple weeks, the book says.
As it became increasingly apparent, however, that Pataki wasn't going to be able to help him remain in office for longer, Giuliani met Pataki and said, "George, you are right. I don't think you should cancel the election."
In retrospect, Pataki acknowledged that though he had been "disappointed" by the entire matter, "maybe I shouldn't have been so emotional about it."
"While some may look at Rudy Giuliani as a power-hungry politician, the reality is that he wanted to keep leading and helping with the recovery efforts," he wrote in the book. "He believed staying in office was best for the city. I was sure it wasn't."
But, Pataki continued, "Regardless of Rudy's motivation, regardless of his raw emotions in the situation, he abandoned some of the most basic conservative principles - follow the law and relinquish power when your term is over, even in times of crisis."
Michael Bloomberg succeeded Giuliani and was inaugurated as New York City's 108th mayor on Jan. 1, 2002. He served for three terms.
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