Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani embarrasses US in ethics lecture to European nation
Rudy Giuliani lectures another country on ethics
Current Time 0:28
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Duration Time 1:38
Giuliani: No reason for Trump impeachment 01:38
Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN and The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author; view more opinion articles on CNN.
(CNN)It is bad enough that the President of the United States is breaking long-standing ethical standards in US government, but
when President Donald Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, stepped into the
contentious battle over corruption in another country, Romania, he
embarrassed the United States by speaking out against clean government;
he made the uphill battle for democracy advocates in Romania even
steeper; and he muddied US foreign policy, taking a stand directly
contrary to that of the US State Department.
Romanians have been fighting what may be a losing battle to uproot corruption in their country. The tens of thousands who have taken to the streets to defend the rule of law had until now seen the United States as an ally. That's why, when a local news site published a letter from Giuliani to Romania's President, it detonated a bombshell of disbelief.
Giuliani to NYT: Trump's jury is the public 01:37
Incredibly,
Giuliani's letter to the country's largely-ceremonial President urged
Romania to throttle the National Anticorruption Directorate, known as
DNA, claiming that anti-corruption efforts were causing "damage to the
rule of law ... under the guise of effective law enforcement." Giuliani
proposed that "amnesty should be given to those who have been prosecuted
and convicted through the excesses of the DNA." And he warned that the
anti-graft drive risks driving away foreign investment.
Giuliani
is an independent lawyer and businessman. He is free to defend
criminals and crooks. But he is also a very high-profile lawyer for
President Trump. People around the world see him on television speaking
on Trump's behalf. So, his words, even if he maintains they have no
connection with the US government, carry special resonance.
Romanian citizens and the country's opposition have fought valiantly to stop the ruling party's campaign to defang the DNA in
a battle for the future of a country in a region where authoritarian
governments have been steadily dismantling democratic practices. Half a million
people took to the streets last year to protest a bill that
decriminalized certain forms of corruption. And when the ruling party
fired the head of the DNA, Laura Codruta Kovesi, the late Republican
Sen. John McCain, along with Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, wrote Romania's Prime Minister to express America's concerns.
The State Department, the European Union,
and other prominent organizations have spoken up in favor of the
besieged anti-corruption campaign that Giuliani denigrated. Romanians
have come to expect support for democracy from the United States, so
Giuliani's letter came not only as a shock, but also as a deep
disappointment.
The prominent entrepreneur and activist Sebastian Burduja published an open message to Giuliani,
saying, "Your letter, Mr. Giuliani, is far from what we would expect
from a fighter for democracy, freedom and the rule of law." He demanded
to know if Giuliani was speaking for the President. "Is this your
letter," he asked, "or is it a message that represents the position and
official policy of the US government?" He went on to explain the
disastrous consequences that entrenched corruption has had for his
country.
Cooper: Trump's people are assaulting truth 06:15
By
now you've probably guessed why Giuliani is suddenly so interested in
the intricacies of Romanian justice: It's about money. Giuliani acknowledged
he sent the letter on behalf of his company, Giuliani Security &
Safety, which had been retained by another firm with an unsettling
pedigree, Freeh Group International Solutions, a company owned by former
FBI director Louis Freeh -- who counts among his clients Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian sentenced to seven years in prison for corruption in a fraud and corruption case, and Alexander Adamescu, another Romanian under investigation by DNA for bribery.
The
common practice of former US government officials selling their
services and using their contacts in part to benefit the highest bidder
is a disturbing facet of US public life. One would hope that, at the
very least, they would screen their customers for ethical behavior and
perhaps avoid clients who pay him to push against an entity whose
purpose is to clean up pervasive corruption. That may be legal, but when
the advocacy that runs contrary to US policy is being carried out by a
man who is so closely associated with the President, the problem is not
just optics. It may directly undercut US interests.
Notably,
not everyone was displeased with Giuliani's letter. The letter received
high praise from the leader of Romania's ruling party, Liviu Dragnea,
of the Social Democratic Party, the party that has been trying to blunt
the DNA's powers. It is he who spearheaded the push to fire the DNA's
Kovesi. Dragnea noted approvingly in a Facebook post that Giuliani "puts his finger on the wound."
As
it happens, Dragnea would benefit from Giuliani's proposed amnesty. One
of the country's most powerful politicians, he's barred from serving as
prime minister because of a 2015 conviction for election fraud, for which he was given a suspended sentence. He is expected to appeal a guilty verdict and a prison sentence on another case of abuse of office.
Giuliani's letter looks like it was written by Dragnea, according to one opposition politician. And it echoes a plan by Freeh, to "restore the rule of law in Romania."
It
is that concerted attack on efforts to restore faith in Romania's
institutions that has produced massive demonstrations by people trying
to salvage the democracy they built after breaking the shackles of one
of the most repressive communist regimes
of the Cold War era. They had dreamed of a Western-style democracy, and
viewed the United States as a source of inspiration and support.
It's
a sign of our times that now the same lawyer who is defending the
embattled President of the United States is selling his services to
those trying to roll back the rule of law in Romania. If Giuliani values
what's left of his reputation, he should screen his client list while
he serves as Trump's lawyer. And he should keep quiet on issues related
to foreign policy as long as his name is associated with the US
presidency.
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