Giuliani: US Has 'Gone Off the Rails,' Not Me

Trump ally goes off to NBC on FBI, rumors of an alcohol problem, perception that he's changed
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2021 12:21 PM CDT
Giuliani: US Has 'Gone Off the Rails,' Not Me
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is seen at a news conference on July 26, 2021, in Miami.   (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

If you've been wondering what's up lately (or over the past two decades) with Rudy Giuliani—recently spotted shaving in an airport dining area—you're not the only one. NBC New York recently caught up with "America's Mayor," and in what the Independent calls a "bizarre" TV interview, he got right to work addressing some of the outlet's questions. Some of the featured topics:

  • Staying true to himself: "I don't care." That was Giuliani's retort to a question on whether he knows about or cares that people's eyebrows have been raised over an apparent behavioral shift since his steady hand in the days right after 9/11. "What's happened is, our country has gone off the rails. ... I'm exactly the same person. They changed!" he exclaimed. He blamed negative perception toward him on the media and people's "irrational" dislike of his ally and ex-client, former President Trump.
  • The FBI: The 77-year-old attorney, who's had his law license suspended in New York and DC, had a lot to say about the agency, revealing that it wants to review his texts and emails going back more than 25 years in its probe into his dealings in Ukraine. "This is as unconstitutional as you can get," he said. "Investigate my life, even my time as mayor, for some crime, or something they can distort into a crime."
  • The Bidens: Giuliani is determined—NBC uses the word "fixated"—on proving the Biden family is corrupt, "a mission he says is as important as his work 20 years ago after 9/11," per the outlet.
  • Rumors of a booze problem: Hogwash, was Giuliani's reaction to such accounts from anonymous former White House colleagues. "Never at all," he said. "I don't think I've ever done an interview drunk. I mean, I drink normally. I like Scotch, I drink Scotch." But "I'm not an alcoholic," he stressed. "I'm a functioning, I probably function more effectively than 90% of the population."
  • On interacting with admirers: "I like selfies," he says, explaining: "I was once turned down for an autograph by Mickey Mantle, and it was a traumatic experience."
More here from NBC. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)

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