Regan throws kerosene on Kerik/Giuliani fire

[Joanne98]

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13586.html

In the sordid scandal surrounding Rudy Giuliani and Bernie Kerik, celebrity book publisher Judith Regan has always been an embarrassing side note. After 9/11, a wealthy real estate developer donated use of a Manhattan apartment to the city, so relief workers could have a place to rest. Instead, Kerik used the apartment as a love nest for an extramarital affair with Regan (among other women). Their relationship ended when Regan found a love note to Kerik in the apartment from a female city employee. (Kerik allegedly proceeded to stalk Regan and her kids.)

But Regan’s role the broader scandal is about to become quite a bit more dramatic — and drag Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. into the debacle.

Judith Regan, the former book publisher, says in a lawsuit filed yesterday protesting her dismissal by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate, that a senior executive there encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Bernard B. Kerik after he had been nominated to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post. <…>

In the civil complaint filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Ms. Regan says the company has long sought to promote Mr. Giuliani’s ambitions. But the lawsuit does not elaborate on that charge, identify the executive who she says pressured her to mislead investigators, or offer details to support her claim.

A Regan attorney said his client has evidence to support her claim that News Corp. encouraged her to lie to federal investigators, but it’s not clear what that evidence includes.

This is probably not the distraction the Giuliani campaign was hoping for.

Indeed, it’s tough to identify who’s hurt most by Regan’s charges, Giuliani or News Corp., which of course is the notorious owner of the Fox News Channel.

The Republican news network is directed by Roger Ailes, a close Giuliani ally who used to work for the presidential hopeful’s mayoral campaign. Later, Giuliani officiated at Ailes’ wedding.

Given this, and the network’s absurd coverage of Giuliani’s presidential campaign, is it really a stretch to think News Corp. might encourage Regan to keep her embarrassing secrets to herself?

Mark Kleiman emphasizes that we’re not just talking about a partisan network trying to help a favored candidate — if a News Corp. executive encouraged Regan to lie to federal investigators, that’s obstruction of justice.

Now why, you may ask, should anyone believe anything Judith Regan says? I’m glad you asked that question. Her lawyers must surely have known, and told her, that she was making charges of criminal activity, and that if she testifies to those incidents in her civil case she will probably have a chance to testify again, in front of a grand jury. And that if her grand jury testimony doesn’t match her civil-trial testimony she could well be joining her ex-lover behind bars.

Stories like these are why the phrase “pass the popcorn” was invented.
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13586.html