Rudy to GOP: Pay Me
Judi Giuliani has to go shopping. John McCain: You can help. News emerged over the weekend that former mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is more than happy to shill for Republicans on the campaign trail in 2008—he just wants to be paid for it. As you may recall, Rudy ended his disastrous bid for the White House some $3.6 million in debt, including a $500,000 personal loan he made to his own campaign. Now he's looking to get out of the red by asking his fellow Republicans to pay him for his political appearances, a move that has infuriated fellow members of the party.
Why, exactly, Rudy feels the need to put the screws to his fellow Republicans isn't entirely clear. He claimed to be worth $30 million when he disclosed his finances as part of his run for the presidency, and he recorded nearly $12 million in income from public speaking engagements between 2006-2007. Now that he's returned to private life—both to his fantastically lucrative consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, and the public speaking circuit—couldn't he afford to swallow the loss without upsetting the entire GOP and further damaging his reputation?
Maybe not! First off, it seems Giuliani isn't nearly as popular on the public speaking circuit as was in years past, before he embarked on that embarrassing, career-damaging campaign for the White House. And then there's Judi Nathan, who isn't exactly the sort of woman who is content with dinners at Red Lobster and bracelets from Zales. The reason Rudy is trying to collect every penny he can might just have something to do with his lifestyle, which was so absurdly documented in Vanity Fair last year:
"Her monogrammed hand-stitched napkins embraced by thick silver napkin rings are on display, along with the new cigar room designed for her husband, and a mantelpiece adorned with white porcelain figurines of Winston Churchill, the statesman with whom Giuliani likes to invite comparison."
"Judith sits in the front rows of fashion shows, her hair freshly styled by a full-time assistant lured from Frédéric Fekkai, and, when asked to pose, thrusts out an obliging hip for the cameras. Although she informed WWD, "I have no room for shopping in my life," she buys Dolce & Gabbana."
Around the office of Giuliani Partners, it is said, Sunny Mindel, Giuliani's communications director, spoke of the need for providing an entire plane seat for Judith's "Baby Louis"—a reference to her Louis Vuitton handbag, which sits in solitary splendor on her travels.
"There are also, of late, large expenses: a Palm Beach house Rudy bought for the elder Stishes, and other lavish purchases by Judith. Around New York, reporters are hearing that she recently spent $40,000 in a week. "Driving him crazy" is the phrase used."
