Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Possible Secretary Of State Giuliani Made Millions Off Paid Speeches For Wall Street & Overseas Interests


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Nov 18, 2016

Modified Nov 18, 2016


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Nov 18, 2016

Modified Nov 18, 2016


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

With Secretary of State rumors swirling, Rudy Giuliani is thisclose to his moment in the sun, provided that sun doesn't melt him. But before he can slide into the fourth slot on the Presidential line of succession, the Senate's going to have to sift through some of his financial conflicts. Turns out, he's got a lot of them! What a surprising turn of events!

The Times ran a lengthy piece outlining how the Former Mayor of 9/11 And Our Current Living Dracula managed to make $16 million in a year—the year 2006, to be exact. Apparently, Giuliani earned at least $10 million by making privates speeches to some very questionable groups, like Wall Street banks, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, and overseas investment companies. Boy are we lucky we didn't elect Hillary Clinton, huh? DRAIN THE SWAMP!

From January 2006 to 2007, Giuliani made $750K off of speeches he made to banks like JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, and the Lehman Brothers, remember that one? Giuliani demanded these speeches remain private, and he also apparently wanted to be flown around in fancy jets.

The Senate may also want to look into some of Giuliani's travel and business dealings overseas. The Times reports that Giuliani was paid handsomely for speeches made in Japan and Singapore—he was also paid for a number of speeches he gave at events organized by the Mujahedeen Khalq, or the MEK, as they're known.

The MKE is a political group of dissidents in Iran, and was actually on the State Department's foreign terrorist organization list until 2012. At one of Giuliani's speeches, he said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, should "be put on trial for crimes against humanity for the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people that they have killed," which is not exactly something you want to have said on the record while trying to negotiate deals with said leader.

"People would reasonably question his fitness for this political appointment given that he received payments from supporters of this organization, and these are matters he would be charged with dealing with as secretary of state," Paul S. Ryan, a vice president at Common Cause, a nonprofit group that examines special interest influence in politics, told the Times.

Of course, there are lots of other reasons to dread a Secretary of State Giuliani—there's his clear disregard for minority groups, for instance, as well as civil liberties. There's the fact that he spent 15 years exploiting a national tragedy for his own political and financial gain. And there's the fact that we'd have to look at his deranged rabbit face on television all day, but I suppose we have bigger problems than that.

I never thought I'd say this, but Mitt, save us.

Tagged

election 2016

rudy giuliani

why god


Rebecca Fishbein

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

NJ early voting begins Saturday. Here's everything you need to know.

Our 2026 New Jersey voter’s guide for this year’s midterm elections.

By

Mike Hayes

Published Oct 23, 2026 at 11:01 a.m. ET


Countdown clocks are coming to an NYC bus stop near you

New York City bus service isn't exactly reliable, but new digital countdown clocks will give riders a better sense of how long they have to wait.

By

Stephen Nessen

News

Countdown clocks are coming to an NYC bus stop near you

New York City bus service isn't exactly reliable, but new digital countdown clocks will give riders a better sense of how long they have to wait.

By

Stephen Nessen


Are NJ schools unconstitutionally segregated? It's back to the courts to decide.

By

Colleen O'Dea

Early Addition: New Jersey considering a ban on chewing gum because of microplastics

By

James Ramsay

Queens mother charged with murdering her son after failed suicide attempt, NYPD says

By

Brittany Kriegstein


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .