Giuliani Pays a NYC Fireman to Like Him

Posted by GottaLaff , Brave New Films at 4:12 AM on November 21, 2007.

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films Blog

The only way Rudy can get support from firefighters, it seems, is to hire them, per the Huffington Post's Sam Stein:

But at least one member of the FDNY continues to offer his support to the former mayor -- and may be getting paid for it.

John R. Orlando, who serves with Engine 216 in Brooklyn, New York, has been cited prominently as a Giuliani supporter. Last June, in a New York Times article detailing the mixed reviews Giuliani has among the city's 11,000-membered firefighting force, Orlando said he regularly saw Giuliani at fires despite suggestions otherwise.

Here's what Rudy's paid bff says about him:

[T]he "bottom line is, I think he's been more of a friend to firefighters than I've seen in the news. I don't think all the criticism is warranted."

The bottom line is, that just cost Rudy $1,580.

Three months after he praised Giuliani, Orlando found himself on the former mayor's payroll. On September 28, 2007, the Giuliani campaign paid one John R. Orlando more than $1,580 for what they deemed on a campaign filing as "political strategy consulting."

Oohhh, "political strategy consulting". Is that what the kids are calling it now?

Nobody in the Giuliani mob camp would comment, including Orlando.

"TV made him a hero, and we'll use TV to take him down," New York Fire Chief Jim Riches told ABC News. Among the issues raised were Giuliani's failure to upgrade the FDNY's faulty radio equipment, his decision to put New York's terrorist command center in the World Trade Center - a known terrorist target - and the hastiness of the post 9/11 cleanup job, which resulted in illness among many service members and the abandonment of buried bodies.

We had a few things to say about him too, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Happy reading!

I've even brought back a golden oldie video for your viewing pleasure.

Tagged as: 9/11, election08, giuliani, firefighters

GottaLaff is a regular blogger for Cliff Schecter's Blog