It is hard to write about Rudy Giuliani and not feel a bit tugged by humanity and sadness. Most everyone has a tendency to want to see people doing better over time, at least learning through difficulties, coming to grips with bad situations – anything, really, anything other than this. Rudy Giuliani is losing even the ability to control himself in public, all the way to a court of law. And that is the point at which most all sympathy ends because it is also critical to remember that Giuliani did all he could to ruin others’ innocent lives, and did so for his own purposes.
Most have heard about Giuliani’s latest hearing in which the court continues to oversee the liquidation and distribution of his assets. At one point he complained that he can’t even pay his bills and that he had no cash. He sounded desperate. Now we know how desperate, as courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg discussed Rudy’s latest actions in court with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins. Mediaite covers the transcript:
“His decorum has certainly changed from when I sketched him 44 years ago as a prosecutor. He’s losing it. He was wild and I feel bad for anyone who represents him. He blurts out orders at his lawyers who are at the podium and, you know, he’s interrupting all the time.”
Yeah, well – who hasn’t changed in 44 years? Of course, her point is to be taken at another level. None of this really works without recalling that Rudy used to be one of the best prosecutors this nation ever had. At a shockingly young age he led the rightly-lauded Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office. He bravely took on the mob – an endeavor that had been almost assumed to be impossible and thus not worth the risk. We all know the mixed results of first being “America’s Mayor” (Along with ‘Stop and Frisk’) and the fallout from it.
That was then. Now?
“His attorney is turning around like he doesn’t know how to handle it. He’s in the middle of speaking to a judge at the podium and behind him he’s shouting orders.”
A lot of attorneys would quit right there and then. A lot of judges wouldn’t let said attorneys quit right there and then – wanting to get through the hearing with him represented. Some would allow the attorney to walk out. It all depends on what to expect from Giuliani and whether there is hope that his behavior might soon improve – at least somewhat. We really can’t know. She goes on to say that she wasn’t moved even though he has been forced to hand over everything:
“I didn’t really feel sorry for him. I’m sure he’s managing okay, and these women who he’s defamed are not seeing much of it [the money Giuliani has been ordered to pay] at all.”
She seems to imply that Rudy is managing funds “okay” – and a court sketch artist is likely to be in as good a place as anyone to evaluate the situation, but it still doesn’t ring totally true. He can probably buy lunch and sleep with a roof over his head. Most people bring themselves around to eventually see that just having that much is more than many others. The idea of being “rich” or even “comfortable” – especially with respect to the rest of the world in general and really especially compared to how people have lived throughout history is often within people’s grasp – that they’re mostly okay. Rudy must be struggling with it mightily because he really does know that his behavior directly impacts his situation.
We don’t hear much about any remorse. A sketch artist would be someone who picks up on that sense better than nearly anyone else. It seems to be missing, which is part of healing – maybe he’ll get it. Maybe not. It is a bit sad.
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“He bravely took on the mob – an endeavor that had been almost assumed to be impossible and thus not worth the risk.”
Would it be saying that was “ironic” considering he’s spent the better part of the past decade representing a wannabe mob boss? You know, “bravely” taking on the mob in the 80s and then sucking up to the mob in the 10s and 20s?
it’s also been suggested that he went after the Italians to help the Israeli and Russian mobs. pretty much all the work for his cases was done by his associates, Rudy just presented the cases and took the credit
Rudy has been a piece of shit his entire life, just as transactional as trump, not as lucky.