Giuliani Claims It Would Have Been ‘Impossible’ To Give 9/11 Firefighters Working Radios
Giuliani Claims It Would Have Been ‘Impossible’ To Give 9/11 Firefighters Working Radios
Today on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos pushed former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on why the radios for the 9/11 firefighters didn’t work. Giuliani dodged the question, claiming that it would have been “impossible” to have given them working radios:
STEPHANOPOULOS: They make two main charges. Number one, that those firefighters in the north tower, many of them lost their lives because their radios didn’t work. They also say you ended the recovery efforts too soon.
GIULIANI: Well, the radios that you’re talking about weren’t put online for three, four, five years after. So, it would have been impossible for me to have those radios ready. It took the city two or three more years…
STEPHANOPOULOS: But they had malfunctioned in 1993.
GIULIANI: But even with the new equipment, it took another two or three years for those radios to be put online. So it would have been impossible for us to have gotten them online before that, given the fact that it took so long afterwards.
Watch it:
As Stephanopoulos pointed out, the firefighters on 9/11 were forced to use old equipment that had malfunctioned eight years earlier, during the 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center.
But it wasn’t “impossible” to get new radios to these firefighters, as Giuliani tried to claim. After the 1993 incident, Giuliani gave Motorola a $14-million no-bid contract. Despite this exorbitant sum, the radios were faulty and had to be taken out of service in March 2001, after a “distress call from a firefighter trapped in a burning house” went unheard. A New York City Council report on the fire department’s radio procurement process concluded:
Thus, despite its acknowledgment two years earlier that several manufacturers were developing technology that might meet FDNY’s CAI specifications, and in apparent disregard of its pledge to evaluate new technologies and products, the FDNY appears to have elected to accept a radio representing an entirely new communications technology from Motorola rather than conduct a competitive review of products and prices.
Brave New Films has put together a video on Giuliani’s record on the 9/11 radios HERE.
Transcript:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve also talked a lot about your record after 9/11.
There’s a group of pretty determined firefighters, who want to defeat you on this issue. They’re led by the deputy fire chief, James Riches, whose son died — also a firefighter — on 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES RICHES, DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF, FDNY: He’s the guy on the top. He’s the guy to yell at. He takes the hit. And my son is dead because of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANOPOULOS: He blames you.
GIULIANI: I feel very bad about that. And I feel very bad at the whole situation. I feel these people — all these people, myself and all the people that were involved in this — have been very hurt by this. And it creates a lot of pain. It creates a lot of suffering. And if they’re angry at me, so be it.
I did everything I — I did everything I could think of doing in that situation to help. I think I made mostly the right decisions. Probably didn’t make all the right decisions, but I tried very hard to alleviate the problem as much as I could, and to lift the spirits of the city.
And in most cases, I think I made the right decisions. In some cases I may not. And then maybe just some people that are angry at me for it, and I’m not going to argue with them. My gosh. They’ve gone through too much for anybody to be arguing with them.
STEPHANOPOULOS: They make two main charges. Number one, that those firefighters in the north tower, many of them lost their lives because their radios didn’t work. They also say you ended the recovery efforts too soon.
GIULIANI: Well, the radios that you’re talking about weren’t put online for three, four, five years after. So, it would have been impossible for me to have those radios ready. It took the city two or three more years…
STEPHANOPOULOS: But they had malfunctioned in 1993.
GIULIANI: But even with the new equipment, it took another two or three years for those radios to be put online. So it would have been impossible for us to have gotten them online before that, given the fact that it took so long afterwards.
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All working under one theory….’Don’t look at me….It never was my fault’.
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:33 amLet him keep talking the more Americans see and hear giuliani the better for the country.
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:41 am“THE MORE HANDS HE SHAKES, THE LOWER HIS POLL NUMBERS GO”
some political pundit yesterday…..
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:42 amAs a amatuer radio enthusiast I was flabbergasted to learn (back in the day) that the NYFD were on VHF, but the NYPD was on UHF. The higher frequenices of the police band at 460 MHz can get out of buildings better than VHF, making for more reliable communications from *inside buildings*.
The fire dept was on 154 MHz for many, many years (are they still?). This frequency range has larger dead areas inside buidlings meaning that you have to carefully move around to get your radio into a hot spot to be able to communicate reliably. If you move at all, you lose the signal. Now imagine having to do that while the building is burning around you and the message you need to send is of life or death.
Many other cities have long ago moved their emergency comm to 800 MHz, and digital radio is now here.
But wasn’t it Giuliani that made a sweet-heart deal with Motorola for the Radios That Didn’t Work?
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:43 amAny chance the mainstream media will actually question 9iu11ani about any of this?
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:44 amLeave Fruity Giuliani alone!
If he hadn’t been suffering from the gout he’d have rescued everyone on 9/11.
-GSD
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:49 amMay be Giuliani saw the latest polls before he was rushed to the hospital few days ago.
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:51 amI certainly hope the Republiscums run Rudi. There are some polls that show Rudi able to beat Hillary, but I firmly believe once the public knows the real story about Rudi, he will be beaten handily by any Democratic contender. Right now all most of America has his name recognition and his being “America’s Mayor” (barf!!). That’s why I don’t trust any of the National polls. All they are getting is name recognition in those polls. We have all seen what happens when the voters really get to know the candidates as evidenced by what happened in Iowa.
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:53 amDid Giuliani tutor in Revisionist History under the same person that tutored Bush?
Sheesh!
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:55 amTypical Repugnicanese — It’s not my fault!
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:58 amIt looks like he got a lot of dirty laundry in his closet..that is not seen yet. And when it is all seen and exposed to public…Giuliani will be a history candidate.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 pmThere are some polls that show Rudi able to beat Hillary, but I firmly believe once the public knows the real story about Rudi, he will be beaten handily by any Democratic contender.
Comment by bilbobaggins — December 23, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Lets not promote Hillary as the Democratic choice, when at this point she is the Media’s Choice. Lets see who wins the primaries. Vote for the candidate of our choice, that is actually doing something. There is only 2 to choose from using that criteria and Hillary isn’t one of them.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 pmThe hell with the “media darlings”, Clinton and Obama, who could not be bothered to show up to vote when the FISA mess was put forward for a vote.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:05 pmhttp://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/71355
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:09 pmso many links, so little time.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:17 pmWhat do you think of Joe Biden Wayne?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — December 23, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
I like Joe, ok, but how many filibusters has he supported?
Did he stand behind Dodd on his threatened filibuster?
My 2 choices right now are Dennis Kucinich and Chris Dodd.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:23 pmNo matter how you dice it, Giuliani is a fraud and screwed the firefighters of NY. These are the true patriots; Giuliani is a treasonous charlatan.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:40 pmBesides, it’s impossible enough to tolerate Bush and his disjointed speech and stammerings in public; do we really need four years of a stuttering, lying moron with zippo experience other than being in the right place at the right time? Giuliani is a zero.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:41 pmCombined with his connections to the mafioso, and the White House would become “The Sopranos REDUX”.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:42 pmhmm… 1993 plus three or four… that’s 1997… seems like you had four years, Rudy!
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:11 pmWhy would you EVER issue New York firemen radios that didn’t work in highrise buildings IN THE FIRST PLACE?
You killed them Rudy.
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:16 pmYou killed them Rudy.
Comment by plunger — December 23, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
but he made money.
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:24 pmThe Republican cocksuckers in teh USA have been lied to so often and consistently that they no longer question the statements of their “leaders”. This makes them, by Teddy roosevelt’s definintion, unAmerican.
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:25 pmWayne and Bartlebee: I had registered at the Des Moines Register before the last Democratic debate (that excluded Kucinich and Gravel–I had to protest that choice by the Register), and, after the debate, I checked the bloggers’ comments about it there. There were a lot of people commenting that Biden was their choice, which kinda surprised me. I like him, but he pissed me off with the Bankruptcy Bill.
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:46 pmRudy sez:
So, it would have been impossible for me to have those radios ready.
Rudy is right. It WAS impossible for HIM to have those radios ready. Because he didn’t give a shit.
December 23rd, 2007 at 2:05 pmGiuliani’s excuse is basically saying: “I’m totally inept and I can’t get really easy tasks accomplished in less than 5 years”.
December 23rd, 2007 at 2:43 pmYou’re telling me that Rudy didn’t blame Bill Clinton?
December 23rd, 2007 at 3:10 pmImpossible for a crook focussed elsewhere further to his south
December 23rd, 2007 at 3:37 pm.
With his long list of “The Dog Ate My Homework” excuses, Ruudee would be the perfect replacement for Duhhbya. At least that seems to be what FOX NEWS and other -cons think.
What I can’t wait to see is a brokered convention, because that’s when we’ll get to see who the REAL Republican power brokers are.
Bush the First’s choice will probably be the tipoff – I mean, afterall, that’s how he got in.
.
December 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pmGiuliani’s “moment” will soon fade to black.
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:32 pmThere is no acceptable candidate on the Republican slate.
Huckabee, the preacher, doesn’t practice what he preaches.
McCain is too much the warrior and the country doesn’t want another war monger.
Romney is not only not endorsed in New Hampshire – there is actually an editorial singling him out in opposition.
Ron Paul is gaining steam; he’s gaining by default!
When people realize that he would eliminate everything that good government does for its people, he won’t be a winner.
Rudy had to either buy new radios or a tiara for Judith.
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:57 pmTwo questions:
How much did Rudy receive in kickbacks from Motorola?
Why does he hate the citizens of New York?
December 23rd, 2007 at 5:21 pmTwo questions:
How much did Rudy receive in kickbacks from Motorola?
Why does he hate the citizens of New York?
Comment by celtic cynic — December 23, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
1) Enough so that the deaths of first responders became irrelevant to him. Being a Repuke, that might have been $100.
2) He’s a Repig. he hates all Americans.
December 23rd, 2007 at 5:31 pmLets see. Rudy gave an interview while covered in dust saying he left WTC 7 because he was warned the towers were going to collapse soon (despite the fact their collapse surprised the heck out of every structural engineer in the universe, and still does). The Police told their guys with their radios to get out of the building before the first tower collapsed. The Fire Departments radios did not work, same ones which did not work in 1993, so they did not get out, sorry guys. And this is the guy running on 9/11?
December 23rd, 2007 at 7:38 pmIf you want a scumbag, facist, sh|thead, family wasting, dictator for President vote for Trudy Julie Annie!!!
Or should I say Rudy Mousollini!!
December 23rd, 2007 at 8:16 pmIf the new tech radios couldn’t have been given by 9/11 – how come they were already in use by other municipalities for many, many years previously.
Campaign hint to RG – you don’t get to whine about your failures and blame them on others till after you’re elected.
December 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 pmJFK in 1961: “Let’s put a man on the moon in 8 years.”
America’s response: “Done.”
NYFD and NYPD in 1993: “Let’s put together a walkie-talkie system so we can communicate with each other.”
December 23rd, 2007 at 9:39 pmRudy today: “OMG, what they were asking was like totally impossible! Can you even imagine how far in the future that kind of technology was? Who am I, Captain Kirk?!?
.
.
.
Rudy’s new campaign slogan: “There are so many things Americans can’t do!”
GIULIANI KILLED ALL THOSE MEN.
December 24th, 2007 at 6:01 amDo we really want cross dresser as president?
December 24th, 2007 at 6:26 amhttp://timesonline.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/05/09/giuliani_in_drag.jpg
December 24th, 2007 at 6:27 amAfter reading some of the above politically motivated, insulting comments, including…
“If you want a scumbag, facist, sh|thead, family wasting, dictator for President vote for Trudy Julie Annie!!”
“GIULIANI KILLED ALL THOSE MEN.”
“He’s a Repig. he hates all Americans.”
“Do we really want cross dresser as president?”
I and all those Americans who know the truth and are not swayed by DNC soundbites, will support “The Man” who saved New York City and provided the cohesiveness to keep this nation focused against the “REAL” problem… “Radical Muslim Extremists”… PERIOD !
December 24th, 2007 at 9:58 amRudy is dead, killed by Shtupgate, Bernie, and the Reverend Placa. Time to pay attention to Mitt Romney–he will be the Republican nominee.
From the Journal of the American College of Neurosurgeons blog:
“We understand that Mitt’s “misstatements” and “conversions” may all be a result of a medical operation Governor Romney had about a year and half ago. To get rid of the gnawing inside, he went into Mayo Clinc for a ethiclotomy. That’s the procedure, very popular with a certain class of businessman, where they make a micro incision behind the ear and into the brain then vacuum out the little organ where the conscience and courage reside. But as is all too typical with this class of patients, the surgeons couldn’t find the damn thing. I’ve heard through the medical grapevine that they didn’t want to lose their fees–they’re businesspeople after all!–so they just sucked something else out. Some suspect it was his heart.” Neurosurgeon in Dallas
“The theory in our Neurosurgery Department is that the damage occured while the whole family was going through their annual “Stepford” renewal treatment last spring. As most of you who work at teaching hospitals know, this is the health maintenance surgical procedure that ensures perfect children and spouses, a fat wallet, great teeth, and a very WASPy attitude. We’ve heard that during one of the procedures, the last tiny vestige of Mitt’s soul may have been removed by mistake. Mitt’s soul had atrophied to the point that the technicians thought it was just a large pimple on his buttocks. When the doctors were out of the room, one of the custodians, probably an illegal immigrant, apparently popped it.” Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Detroit
So there you have it!
Jesus is Our Savior! No New Taxes! Protect Our Borders! Go Mitt!!!!!
December 24th, 2007 at 10:04 amI and all those Americans who know the truth and are not swayed by DNC soundbites, will support “The Man†who saved New York City and provided the cohesiveness to keep this nation focused against the “REAL†problem… “Radical Muslim Extremistsâ€â€¦ PERIOD !
Comment by RadioWave
Errr… what did he save New York from?
And what has he done to “provide the cohesiveness to keep this nation focused against the “REAL†problem”? Other than repeat “9/11″ in every other sentence he spoke during any speech that he’s made over the last year?
You truly are a moron.
December 24th, 2007 at 2:08 pmRadiowave: ““The Man†who saved New York City and provided the cohesiveness to keep this nation focused against the “REAL†problem… “Radical Muslim Extremistsâ€â€¦ PERIOD !”
If Rudy understands the problem why does he do business with a Shiek who sheltered both Khalid Mohammed AND Osama bin Laden? His firm is doing business with wealthy Arabs who financed the 9-11 attack and protected 9-11 conspirators. If he’s going to run as someone who “understands the problem,” I think it’s up to Rudy to explain why he’s doing business with these people.
December 24th, 2007 at 4:47 pmGiuliani is such a sleaze. All he ever says is “9/11″ and “leave my family alone,” and when questioned he dodges all culpability. He is both taking credit for, and dodging 9/11 to suit his needs. He should be ashamed.
December 26th, 2007 at 6:34 pm