Washington – As a partner in a law and lobbying firm, Rudy Giuliani has profited from his firm’s work representing corporate clients before nearly every Cabinet department, exposing himself to a wide range of potential ethical entanglements.
If Giuliani became president, his administration would be on the receiving end of regulatory requests, contract bids and policy proposals by the same clients of his Houston firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, that have contributed toward his personal net worth of millions of dollars.
Although the Republican has so far declined to identify all the companies with which Bracewell and his other firms have done business over the past five years, The Associated Press identified more than 175 as part of an expansive review of lobbying records, court filings and securities reports.
Giuliani’s law and lobbying clients have included Saudi Arabia, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and chewing-tobacco maker UST Inc.
Traditional procedures for government officials to prevent ethical conflicts would be unavailable for a commander in chief. It is unheard of for a president, when taking office, to promise to step away from a particular issue.
But appearances matter when it comes to the public’s perception of conflicts of interest, and the large number of clients and issues linked to Giuliani’s firms could prove a liability.
Giuliani declined to comment.
“It’s clear voters are looking for an experienced leader like Mayor Giuliani with a track record of results to tackle the difficult issues currently facing our country,” campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella said.
Congress, the Pentagon, the Energy and Education departments, and the Environmental Protection Agency were among offices most frequently contacted by Bracewell & Giuliani, reports show.
The firm, previously named Bracewell & Patterson, took in roughly $500,000 more from Washington lobbying the first year of Giuliani’s partnership than in the previous year, rising from nearly $5.8 million between mid-2004 and mid-2005 to $6.3 million between mid-2005 and mid-2006, according to Political MoneyLine.
Managing partner Patrick Oxford declined to discuss Giuliani’s compensation.
“Mayor Giuliani’s worldwide reputation for leadership has contributed to the firm’s stature and success,” said Oxford, national chairman of Giuliani’s campaign. “Of course, should he be inaugurated as president, the firm’s name will change.”
