Rudy Giuliani vs. Bill Clinton

Unless you been asleep, on the moon, or visiting Botswana, you probably heard how former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani billed taxpayers for the security and travel of his mistress, now third wife Judith Nathan. Richard Esposito at ABC News reports-

Well before it was publicly known he was seeing her, then-married New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani provided a police driver and city car for his mistress Judith Nathan, former senior city officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com. “She used the PD as her personal taxi service,” said one former city official who worked for Giuliani.

New York papers reported in 2000 that the city had provided a security detail for Nathan, who became Giuliani’s third wife after his divorce from Donna Hanover, who also had her own police security detail at the same time.

The former city officials said Giuliani expanded the budget for his security detail at the time. Politico.com reported yesterday that many of the security expenses were initially billed to obscure city agencies, effectively hiding them from oversight. The former officials told ABCNews.com the extra costs involved overtime and per diem costs for officers traveling with Giuliani to secret weekend rendezvous with Nathan in the fashionable Hamptons resort area on Long Island.

When the New York City comptroller began to question the accounting, Mayor Giuliani’s office declined to provide details to city security, officials told ABCNews.com today. “The Comptroller’s Office made repeated requests for the information in 2001 and 2002 but was informed that due to security concerns the information could not be provided,” a spokesperson for the comptroller’s office said.

Giuliani called the reports a hit job and dirty trick. When politicians reply like that to allegations of misuse of office, I believe the allegations. That goes for members of any political party.

Does Rudy's use of his public office make him any different than Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky when President? How do any Republicans who were outraged at Clinton reconcile supporting Giuliani?

Yes I admit Clinton, lied under oath. Giuliani probably lied to the public. Other than one of those being a crime, is it really different? I'd place a bet there is some statute or ethics rule that Rudy broke if its true about his mistress being shuffled about like she was.

Rick at Stuck on the Palmetto says-

The same people who were so famously outraged at Bill Clinton's indiscretions while in office are more than willing to vote for a conservative who is more liberal than some liberals and who used taxpayer money to help facilitate his extramarital affair while in office.

Rick is doing some generalizing about Republicans, and is off about how liberal Giuliani is compared to liberal Democrats, but he makes a point. Are some Republicans being hypocritical when supporting Rudy Giuliani for President?

By the way, if Oscar Wilde is right, Rudy may not be through having affairs. Who knows, but I think even Rudy supporters will say he tends to be secretive.

"A man who marries his mistress leaves a vacancy in that position."

Also talking about the latest Rudy Giuliani news- James Joyner at OTB, Poliblog, Betsy,
Linked to- Bright & Early, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, Right Wing Nation, Rosemary,