Giuliani Defends Firm's Citgo Ties
Monday March 19, 11:16 am ET
By Brendan Farrington, AP Political Writer
Giuliani Defends Law Firm's Citgo Ties, Says Energy No. 1 Priority
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Sunday defended his law firm's role in representing Citgo Petroleum Corp., which is ultimately controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying it was helping to protect American jobs.
Giuliani acknowledged, though, that his opponents will try to exploit news this week that a lawyer with Bracewell & Giuliani, of Houston, has been representing Citgo before the Texas legislature. The firm has had a contract with Citgo since before Giuliani joined it.
"Oh, they'll exploit everything," Giuliani said. "There are things that make sense and things that don't make sense, and that doesn't make any sense. It was one of those political attacks where you have nothing to do with it, you're not involved in it and so it doesn't really worry you very much. What they're doing is lawful and honorable and helping to protect jobs for more than 100,000 Americans."
Although Citgo Petroleum is a U.S.-based company, it was bought in 1990 by Petroleos de Venezuela, the national oil company of Venezuela. It employs 4,000 people in Texas and other states, and Giuliani said indirectly more than 100,000 people have jobs because of the company.
Chavez has been an outspoken critic of President Bush and is close to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Because of that, Citgo has become unpopular with some Americans.
Giuliani was in Florida raising money at a New York Yankees spring training game. After the fundraiser, the former New York mayor watched the game from a front row seat directly behind Yankees manager Joe Torre. He discussed Chavez during the game, saying he is one of the reasons why the United States needs to develop alternative fuels and become energy independent.
"As the president I would make that my No. 1 priority, the way Eisenhower and Kennedy made getting to the moon the No. 1 priority of the American government," Giuliani said. "It has to consume a tremendous amount of our attention."
If the country had done so in the 1970s, the nation would be more secure now, he said.
"We wouldn't have to be sending money to our enemy, which is really frustrating, and giving them leverage that they shouldn't have," Giuliani said. "Chavez, (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, people like that have leverage because they're making money, and they're making money because the United States and the world have not really pursued alternative energy the way we should."
He also called Chavez dangerous and said the United States needs to use concerns about him to build relations with Latin American countries.
"We've got to learn how to play Chavez," he said. "There's a lot of concern in America about Chavez; there's even more concern in South America. We have to sort of use that to bring them to the United States."
Giuliani sat next to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum at the game. Also sitting with them were state Reps. Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City, and David Rivera, R-Miami.
Glorioso cited Giuliani's leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as one reason he's supporting him but said his overall record running the city was impressive.
"He took a city that was in disrepair and fixed it, and that takes leadership, guts, planning, good team work -- everything you need in a good leader was displayed with what he did in New York City," Glorioso said.
Giuliani is leading Republicans in polls nationally and in Florida but has been behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain in building a campaign team in the state for the Republican nomination.
He did recently sign on Karen Unger, who managed former Gov. Jeb Bush's 2002 re-election campaign. Unger is now organizing and hiring staff around the state.
Giuliani will return to Florida March 27 for a fundraiser and to address the Club for Growth in Palm Beach. Sunday, though, he was clearly enjoying the baseball game, which the Yankees won 8-1.
"This is my game. I love it," he said. "If I run for president, I get elected president and then retire after I'm president, I think I'll go around announcing spring training (games)." |
