Is Giuliani Flip-Flopping With Opposition To 9/11 Trials In NYC?

Yesterday, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani came out swinging against the Obama administration's decision to try five of the alleged 9/11 plotters, including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, at a NYC federal court, accusing the White House of thinking the "War on Terror is over." But senior White House adviser David Axelrod pointed out that Giuliani previously supported the decision to try 20th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui in federal criminal court.

On This Week, George Stephanopoulos asked Giuliani about his comments made in 2006—Giuliani said at the time, "I was in awe of our system. It does demonstrate that we can give people a fair trial, that we are exactly what we say we are. We are a nation of law." Stephanopoulos said, "You called it a symbol of justice then. If criminal court was good enough for Moussaoui, why isn't it good enough for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?" To which Giuliani responded:

Well, it was, and it would be good enough for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but the reality is, there's another alternative, and the administration for some strange reason is creating the other alternative, military tribunals. They're going to try five other people at least in those military tribunals. I don't understand why they can't try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in the military tribunal. That also would demonstrate we're a nation of laws. That is the way in which we have tried enemy combatants in the past, whether it was the second world war or the Civil War. So, we're basically, in this particular case, we're reaching out to give terrorists a benefit that's unnecessary. In fact, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, when he was first arrested, asked to be brought to New York. I didn't think we were in the business of granting the requests of terrorists.

He also complained that the federal process could drag on for a while, plus, "The reality is, George, it also creates an extra risk that isn't necessary. It creates an extra risk for New York. Now, New York can handle it, there is no question about it, but why add an additional risk when you don't have to do that?"

However, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also on This Week, said she stood behind the decision for the trials to be held in NYC (okay, more like she wasn't second-guessing U.S. AG Eric Holder) —and said she would not run for Governor of New York next year (heh, Hillary in Albany). Giuliani said he's taking a 2010 run "into consideration."

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By Jen Chung in News on November 16, 2009 3:26 PM

Comments [rss]

freddynyc

Could Rudy just crawl under a rock like the slug he is...

kruton

What risk does bringing KSM to NYC create? Can anybody explain this to me? Do they think Al Qaeda is going to bust him out of jail? Also, why the whining about military tribunals, is there any doubt that he'll be found guilty in court?

kingofny

OBAMA 109:8

psalm 109:8

may his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

Lol so perfect

this guy has to go. No trial in NYC

inoyourider

HAHAHA You just made my day.

Thank Satan for loonies like you.

hunter.blatherer

Well. I didn't know Hillary was running for governor.

/straightface

inoyourider

He is SO full of shit.

Mr Mel

Again a Republican saying the opposite of anything the President says. They are a group of nasty old men who will never get over the election of a black man. It all started with Reagan, who's policy was don't give them (the Dems) an inch, fight them tooth and nail on everything and to hell with the country, the party comes first, that is the 11th Commandment. Charlie Crist the retiring Republican Governor of Florida posed in photo with President Obama (Thanking him for the Stimulus Package) and is in the race for the soon to be open Senate seat there. If you listen to his GOP primary rival he is an agent of Satan.

NannyState

Exactly. Giuliani is weighing down the same parrot branch with Mitt Romney, who was trotted out to upstage Sarah Palin with his own blatantly idiotic comments. The GOP would fly their own campaign plane into a skyscraper if they thought it would damage the Obama Administration.

Politburo

It doesn't seem that there's a conflicting standard, as Giuliani claims. KSM is the supposed mastermind of 9/11, an attack on a civilian target within the United States. IMO that makes him no different than any other terrorist that has been tried in federal courts for acts of terrorism (attempted or otherwise). I don't think the venue of capture makes a difference, and I don't see any reason why it should.

The others that he makes reference to are the Cole bombers. They struck a military target outside the United States. That sounds like a perfect case for tribunals.

EastRiver

Do I need to point out that the Pentagon is not a civilian target?

hotstepper

if he wasn't a career, butt-sniffing politician it would have gone down like:

To which Giuliani responded: "Why yes you're quite right George, and, consequently, I will now place my foot directly into my word-hole."

Chillinoncentral

So Hillary is not running for the governor's seat in NY. Boy, I just didn’t see that coming.

OTC

Zacarias Moussaoui is a totally different case, he was captured in the United States and not on the battlefields of Afghanistan.

Anyone captured in the United States deserves a full trial, but enemy combatants captured outside on battlefields outside of the United States are not and should not be entitled to the same rights as someone captured here.

Kojak

Giuliani is suffering from a rare condition in that when he is flatulent, it comes out of his mouth rather than his ass. This is just one more occurrence.

Perhaps if he keeps his mouth shut, and talks out of his ass he would sound more sensible.