TPM has been going through some old financial records from Rudy's NYC administration. It's this letter that's troubling. His administration paid 400k in advance on an American Express account for future billings, which included his travel bills, already in the news.
Of the 400k, only 100k was spent while he was in office, 300k was refunded to NYC when he left. Whether he was trying to hide something or not is an open question. That this is just plain foolish when it comes to managing finances isn't.
I once worked for Amex. They make money on float. And they don't need loans to the tune of 400k in tax payer dollars to make a nice profit.
I don't understand something here. In the spring of 2000 Guiliani's sexual escapades and soon to be ex-wife Donna Hanover's proposed role in the Vagina Monologues blew up in his face and killed his chances of successfully running for the senate against Hillary. Suddenly he was not only despised by most people in NYC his conservative cred was shot upstate. Then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer which gave him a convenient out. That all happened by the end of May 2000.
So in June 2000 Guiliani prepaid $54,000 AMEX and billed it to the New York City Loft Board and other backwater agencies. Then sometime in 2001 he prepays another $400,000 knowing full well he's term limited as mayor and will be out by the beginning of 2002. Remember it wasn't until after 9/11 that he tried to circumvent the law to remain in power for awhile longer.
What I don't get is why with well less than a year in office left and the city comptroller already barking up his tree about it he decided he needed a prepaid travel kitty 8 times the size he copped the year before. He wasn't traveling around the state or country running for another office with his entourage in 2001. Did he have another 3 or 4 mistresses who needed taxi service?
Posted by: markg8 | Saturday, December 01, 2007 at 10:18 AM