New York Daily News -
http://www.nydailynews.com
Giuliani spanks Bernie
BY DAVID SALTONSTALL, MAKI BECKER and RUSS BUETTNER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Thursday, December 16th, 2004
After days of embarrassing revelations, Rudy Giuliani scolded former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik yesterday, saying he has a "fair amount of explaining to do."
"I told him directly, 'There are are some significant mistakes you made here, even granted that only some of this is true,'" Giuliani said.
"And this is an aspect of Bernie's personality that needs to be changed. In this area - being careful - he is challenged. Really challenged."
The Daily News reported this week that Kerik broke city rules on accepting gifts, carried on two adulterous affairs in a secret apartment and buddied up to a city contractor with alleged mob ties.
Kerik has insisted he withdrew his nomination to become homeland security czar solely because he had failed to pay taxes on a nanny, who had an uncertain immigration status.
When Giuliani was asked how he felt toward Kerik, given all the revelations, the ex-mayor said he "wouldn't describe it as angry."
"I told him, 'You made some very big mistakes here, and you would have saved yourself and a lot of others some trouble if you had dealt with this earlier.'
"I remain his friend and I remain confident that he will be able to work his way through this. But he has a fair amount of explaining to do."
When The News first broke the stories about Kerik, Giuliani stood by his man - telling reporters he "had confidence in Bernie."
His piercing remarks yesterday came after three days of heart-to-heart talks between Giuliani and Kerik.
Giuliani said he had encouraged Kerik to grow from the mistakes, adding there was "no question" he would keep Kerik at his consulting company - even though the recent furor may have led to the cancellation of its holiday party last night.
"Everybody is now willing to forget the contributions Bernie has made," Giuliani said. "I saw them firsthand and they were at the level of truly heroism, and that counts a great deal with me."
The News reported yesterday that in 1999, when Kerik was correction commissioner, he had bought two apartments in a building where previously he had had difficulty affording one. The apartments were combined and extensively renovated under building permits filed by a recently indicted contractor and a soon-to-be-indicted engineer.
Joseph Tacopina, Kerik's attorney, insisted the building hired the contractor and engineer and Kerik took ownership only after work to combine the units was complete.
"Bernie Kerik never met either of those individuals," said Tacopina. "Bernie Kerik never hired either of those individuals. Those individuals were hired by the building and the building secured the permits."
He said Kerik bought the combined units for $170,000 and borrowed $50,000 for "minor renovations."
Tacopina discounted Kerik's woes as the work of enemies made during eight years of tough-guy management at the Correction and Police departments.
The News first reported Monday that Kerik had two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the liaisons shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Tacopina said he did not know enough to comment on the love nest.
