Rudy Giuliani Struck While Campaigning on Staten Island
NEW YORK — A grocery store worker on Staten Island was arrested Sunday after hitting Rudy Giuliani on the back while the former mayor campaigned on behalf of his son, a Republican candidate for governor, according to police and Giuliani.
In a brief interview, Giuliani said he was walking through a ShopRite grocery store in the Charleston neighborhood with supporters when the employee disparaged him and slapped his back, then made an apparent reference to abortion.
“The one thing he said that was political was ‘You’re going to kill women, you’re going to kill women,’ ” said Giuliani, who said he understood the remark to be about the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday.
The initial account shared by police did not mention abortion but said an unnamed 39-year-old man had hit Giuliani in the mid-back while saying, “What’s up, scumbag?”
The man was taken into custody. Police were still investigating, and it was not immediately clear what, if any, charges the man could face.
Giuliani, a Republican who recently served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, has had a long and conflicted relationship with abortion rights — first opposing them, then supporting them, then reversing himself again.
Earlier Sunday, he said on his radio program that he had gone through “a torturous, intellectual, and emotional and moral situation with abortion” before ultimately concluding that he opposed it.
Giuliani is under intense scrutiny for his role in Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which culminated in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In the interview, he denounced political violence.
“This has to stop. This is getting ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve been in politics 50 years, I’ve never been attacked like this.”
Giuliani said he had red marks on his back but was not bleeding and had remained on his feet after being struck. He had been planning to hand out flyers for his son, Andrew, before Tuesday’s Republican primary for governor. The younger Giuliani was not on hand.
“My back hurts, but otherwise, I’m able to walk and stuff like that,” the former mayor said. “He almost knocked me down. Thank God, for a 78-year-old, I am in pretty good shape.”
I've always suspected that Giuliani might be a body builder. They say he does a minimum of 10 elbow bends every day.
While I won't defend the guy who hit him as such is unacceptable, an asshole like Rudy has had it coming for years (and long before he ever worked for Trump--that's just icing on the cake.)
While I won't defend the guy who hit him as such is unacceptable, an asshole like Rudy has had it coming for years (and long before he ever worked for Trump--that's just icing on the cake.)
My only surprise in this story was Staten Island. Brooklyn, Queens, sure, but SI?
While I won't defend the guy who hit him as such is unacceptable, an asshole like Rudy has had it coming for years (and long before he ever worked for Trump--that's just icing on the cake.)
My only surprise in this story was Staten Island. Brooklyn, Queens, sure, but SI?
So he commutes . . .
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
There are store videos of the event and Rudy is HIT TWICE ! The first time it looks to me as though somebody walks up behind him, pats him on the back, then almost immediately a woman walks behind him and pats him again. Neither time does it look to me that Rudy even moves forward; cerainly not nearly knocked off his feet. The first person continues around around Rudy's left side and stops in front of him, not closely. There is a circle of people that looks to me to all be at a non-threatening distance and the first person gets Rudy's attention and says something. The second person who looks female to me continues around the group to his right and stops about even with Rudy's shoulder but is ignored.
'Assault' is offensive touching and does not require any injury or other physical harm, only that the touching be unwanted.
