The Dispute Index

Rudy Giuliani

Portrait of Rudy Giuliani

American lawyer and politician who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001.

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Rudy Giuliani on Health Care, Islamophobia, and Public Health, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Rudy Giuliani

Portrait of Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Role at the time: Former mayor of New York City

Denied

Statement summary

In a New York Post interview, Rudy Giuliani denied hiding air-quality information after September 11, saying his administration followed EPA guidance and "posted everything."

“My administration posted everything.”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Rudy Giuliani: I did not hide information about toxic dust after September 11New York Post interview, opening passages containing Giuliani's direct responses
Why we used this label

The case concerns the Mamdani administration's release of post-September 11 air-quality and health records. Giuliani directly rejects the contention that his administration withheld the information.

Read statementZohran Mamdani administration's release of post-9/11 air-quality and health records
Portrait of Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Role at the time: Former Mayor of New York City

Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Rudy Giuliani gave his own account of his September 11 handshake with Zohran Mamdani, saying he told Mamdani "I pray for you" and received a "thank you" in response, and said he commends Mamdani for shaking his hand.

“So we shook hands and I said to him, 'I pray for you,' and he said 'thank you' ... I commend him also for shaking hands with me.”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Giuliani reveals what he told Mamdani during handshake, offers praise
Why we used this label

Giuliani both praises Mamdani for shaking his hand and offers his own account of the exchange, a mixed position that neither fully condemns nor endorses Mamdani's memorial attendance, but adds his own first-person account to a dispute previously documented only from Mamdani's side.

Read statementShould Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?
Portrait of Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Role at the time: Statement issued by an unnamed spokesperson for Rudy Giuliani, as quoted by WABC

Challenged the characterization

Statement summary

An unnamed spokesperson for Giuliani rejected Mamdani's framing of responsibility, cited the EPA's earlier assurances about air quality, and accused the mayor of politicizing the records release.

“attempting to score cheap partisan political points”
Open source (opens in a new tab)FDNY union leaders demand accountability after records release; Giuliani spokesperson respondsDirect quotations from James Brosi and Robert Eustace, followed by Giuliani spokesperson's statement
Why we used this label

The representative disputes the characterization of local officials' responsibility and defends Giuliani's administration. This is reported representative speech, not a verified direct quotation spoken personally by Giuliani.

Read statementZohran Mamdani administration's release of post-9/11 air-quality and health records
Portrait of Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Role at the time: Former mayor of New York City during the September 11, 2001 attacks

Condemned

Response to this claim

Rudy Giuliani said Mayor Zohran Mamdani should skip the 2026 9/11 memorial and characterized Mamdani’s attendance as offensive.

“03:48: “Well, there's no question he should.” 08:14: “All of the Muslims he supports are murderers.””
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Newsmax interview: Rudy Giuliani on Zohran Mamdani’s planned 9/11 memorial attendanceFull segment
Why we used this label

Giuliani expressly rejects Mamdani's attendance. His allegation forms part of that exclusion argument; the classification describes his response to attendance, not our judgment on the allegation.

Read statementShould Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?

Relationship to this case: Participant

Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, and some September 11 victims’ relatives opposed Zohran Mamdani attending the 2026 memorial, citing his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would honor victims; other elected officials and a family group said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize the commemoration.

IslamophobiaSeptember 11 AttacksUpdated