Rudy Giuliani hasn't given up yet on repeating the latest GOP talking points on the Christie Bridgegate scandal, which is to just start yelling "Benghazi!... IRS!... Obama!... Hillary!" every time one of them is allowed on our airways. But this Sunday on Meet the Press, Giuliani appears to have gotten off script when David Gregory actually asked him if it's fair to hold President Obama to a different standard on their drummed up fake IRS "scandal" than they set for Gov. Chris Christie.
After first attacking the Democratic lawmaker leading an investigation as being too partisan and saying he should step aside, here's the back and forth he had with Gregory:
GREGORY: But mayor, you raise again the specter of the IRS and other Republicans have done that. I think it's fair to point out that for those who is have raised that issue, what they said is the culture was created by President Obama for this kind of abuse to have occurred. That link has never been proven or established. But if that's your standard, then isn't Governor Christie accountable for creating a culture where this kind of abuse could have occurred and been ordered by top lieutenants?
GIULIANI: Well, that happens four or five times in every administration. Every governor, every mayor, every president has his people do something wrong, and then all of you rightly ask: Did the culture create it? Didn’t it? If the culture did create it then you have got to change the culture. But that is different from saying you are responsible for abusing power. You’re a bully, you’re terrible, you’re awful.
Look, the president said he didn't know what happened with the IRS. I believe that's true. The whole issue gets resolved if the president straightens it out and it doesn't happen again. I think that's the way you evaluate one of those things. That's a very, very ambiguous and amorphous charge that the culture created it. My goodness, things go wrong in every administration so then the person in charge has to take accountability for it and has to make it clear: “I didn't really want you to do that.” I can't tell you how often I had to do that. People would do things. They thought i wanted it. I didn't. I'd have to straighten it out. I'd have to say I don't want it and it didn't happen again.
Oops. Here's more on that from Sam Stein: Giuliani Absolves Obama In IRS Scandal And Christie In 'Bridgegate':
Gov. Chris Christie’s most-public defender, Rudy Giuliani, said on Sunday that every administration is tarred with the criticism that it created a culture that fosters scandal or misdeed. [...]
Giuliani’s point was that the top Christie lieutenants who ordered lane closures on the George Washington Bridge were acting as rogue aides, rather than as directed or because the Republican governor had created a culture where they felt it would be accepted. And to emphasize that point, Giuliani did what would have been unthinkable some eight months ago: He completely absolved President Barack Obama of any responsibility in the allegations that the IRS targeted tea party groups in the run up to the 2012 elections.
If he keeps this up, he might not get invited back on Fox again any time soon.
