Rudy: Cabinet Meetings Open To My Wife

Judith Nathan Could Attend Meetings, Especially On Health Care, GOP Contender Says

(AP)  Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani says if elected, he'd be open to his wife attending Cabinet meetings on issues in which she's interested.

In an interview with Barbara Walters to air Friday on ABC News' "20/20," the former New York mayor and his wife, Judith Nathan Giuliani, answered questions about the six marriages between them and whether she was the "other woman" who caused the breakup of his second marriage to TV personality Donna Hanover.

Rudy Giuliani, the current front-runner in the 2008 GOP race, discussed what role his wife would play if he wins the White House. In 1990s, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton played a prominent role in her husband's administration, including a failed effort on health care reform. Her policy efforts created some problems for the couple.

Asked whether his wife would sit in on Cabinet meetings, Giuliani said, "If she wanted to. If they were relevant to something that she was interested in. I mean, that would be something that I'd be very, very comfortable with."

Giuliani described his wife as a close adviser who has as much involvement in his campaign as she wants.

Asked if she would sit in on policy meetings, Mrs. Giuliani, who was a nurse, said: "If he asks me to, yes. And certainly in the areas of health care."

He disputed suggestions that she was responsible for the messy and very public breakup of his marriage to Hanover, with whom he had two children, Andrew and Christine. Giuliani's relationship with his children has been strained.

"No, she was not," he said. "I tried to keep that all as private as possible. ... I think I should be very, very clear, that she was not the cause of the breakup in any way at all."

Calling Judith Giuliani "the light of my life," the former mayor declined to say whether his marriage to Hanover had been in trouble.

Judith Giuliani, who recently revealed that she had been married twice previously, not once, said it was difficult to be seen as the "other woman."

Giuliani's first marriage to his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, ended after 14 years in divorce and later an annulment. Giuliani said he doesn't think the nation has reached the point in which divorce is not important in choosing a president, but argued that voters will evaluate the whole person.

"None of us, at least I don't think any of us, have perfect lives," he said. "I can say very credibly to people, 'Judge me by my public performance. Whatever mistakes I've made in my personal life, I made; I'm sorry for them.'"

Meanwhile, a new source of tension for Giuliani has come in the form of a New York Times report Friday alleging that the former New York mayor was aware of his former police commissioner's suspected ties to organized crime.

Court records obtained by the Times suggest Giuliani knew of Bernard Kerik's relationship with a firm supposedly linked with organized crime. Last year, Giuliani testified under oath to a Bronx grand jury that he did recall being briefed, but did not dispute the allegation, according to the transcripts.

Giuliani recommended Kerik to the White House to run the Department of Homeland Security in 2004. Kerik withdrew his name a week later.

[shingles1]

It's 1992 all over again.

[toldyouso21]

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHK!!! Wrong answers Rudy.

Thank you for letting us know that if America elects you, they elect your adulterous spouse also.

[imb4u2c2]

There is no way in HE** that I would vote in and respect a man for president that would let his wife join any cabinet meetings that SHE wished to attend.

I guess it goes to show that when you vote for a president, you are also accepting the first lady as your leader too. So be sure the mate is knowledgeable and clean cut too.

Hillary? Bah!!! Just what great works has she done since she has been senator? She proved how well she could profess to know "nothin" . I have no respect for anyone who decides that "I want to be a senator from NY" and buys property in NY so she could be a resident and take the senator position from someone who possibly has worked all their lives for their fellow NYers. All she has done is spew out disgust with GB. NO WAY!

And by the way, just to make it clear, the only time I have spent in NY is to ride the Staten Island Ferry to see SOL while on vacation. I'm from the mid-west.

[condumism]

Gulliani, the GOP FEAR candidate, with nothing constructive to offer the USA.

[toldyouso21]

-HollyKrapp; Rudy complaining about severe look by neocons at divorcees. Wow I like that! We still can make him migrate to our camp of Liberals. The question is will he fit within the group of great thinking-rebellers?
Posted by grazinggoat at 07:52 PM : Mar 29, 2007


Are you kidding? Nobody wants that sleazy bit of trash nor do we want his former aid, turned lover turned wife to dictate policy to us. How low can we go?

Doesn't Rudy understand that Americans traditionally do NOT want spouses to participate in the politics nor do we want adultresses to dictate ANYTHING to us. That he paraded that thing in front of his poor wife is bad enough and now, in typical delusional fashion he wants his 'woman' to be our first lady. sorry Rudy, if you weren't serious about running just say so, we don't need the hints of you saying a *** is going to be knee deep in the government's business.

Best you and your mistress keep to the sidelines, like a bad odor, we prefer to not have a direct view or sniff of the 2 of you.

[nyckate]

tuckerndfw - I don't plan on voting for Hillary - but this I know - she's a lot less baggage than either George or Rudy who are for all their money nothing but low-rent trash.

And unlike Rudy or George Hillary is NOT delusional, brain-dead or a thug.

[nyckate]

The neocon psuedo-christians voted in a frat boy who's brain is fried from too much booze, too many drugs and too little knowledge -- they felt a kinship with George.

So of course these same inbred morons are going to vote for the Rudy who's been married to his own cousin and has three marriages - so far - who moved his *** in with his wife and kids - jeez louise Rudy's right down their trasky low-rent alley - just like george us.

[grazinggoat]

Giuliani's first marriage to his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, ended after 14 years in divorce and later an annulment. Giuliani said he doesn't think the nation has reached the point in which divorce is not important in choosing a president, but argued that voters will evaluate the whole person.

-HollyKrapp; Rudy complaining about severe look by neocons at divorcees. Wow I like that! We still can make him migrate to our camp of Liberals. The question is will he fit within the group of great thinking-rebellers?

[grazinggoat]

He needs hair-transplant or a wig. Water had dried up in the base of his scalp, hair fell. So would you vote for a dried-head president?

[cmp271]

He doesn't have a chance anyway. Thank you for applying for the opening. There has to be another GOP candidate. The dems don't have anyone really worth while either. Let's do something different. Let's not have an election and do without a President for a year or so. How about a country Manager. We could have Donald Trump in charge!!!

[agnim]

What can we say of a man who married even his own cousin these days?
Given the chance, he'd prolly marry his own mom. LOL

[toldyouso21]

lol. they worded the question incorrectly but no doubt on purpose. The question should have been was he having an affair with his present wife at the time of his second marriage. By most accounts the answer is yes. Rudy is parsing--he can say judy was not the cause because in his mind it was not his boinking that broke his marriage up it was other things--but the facts are--he and Judy were having an affair during his 2nd marriage, right?

[toldyouso21]

If people were disgusted with Bill Clinton as an adulterer and his affair with Monica--then the same people cannot stomach Guliani who was committing adultry with the woman who he now is married to. She is a homewrecker and adultress and he is a callous man who let his second wife know she was being divorced on tv.

Of course, there is not much sympathy for her either since his second wife is also the result of an affair.

It looks like Guliani will at least rival Clinton in sleaze--but at least Bill never introduced his mistress as a potential first lady and told America to suck it up and like it.

Republicans--go ahead a run Guliani...if he gets elected, we will be sure to get his next extramarital sleaze queen (and his ***) on the appropriate red dres instead of blue.

[tuckerndfw]

Gully has less chance than Hilly of being elected.

And, Hilly has no (realistic) chance.

If Hilly had honor or integrity, she wouldn't be in the race in the first place. She has more baggage than an airplane baggage compartment on one of those huge jumbo jets.

She would be more polarizing and divisive than George Bush.