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Judith Regan Alleges Fox Told Her to Lie About Bernie to Protect Rudy

Maybe now this story will gain some traction in the media. It's been way too lenient on the connection between Bernie Kerik and Rudy Guiliani. There were headlines for one day and then no one asked the tough questions, the ones about what Rudy knew about Bernie and his alleged ties to mob associates and a company with alleged ties to mob associates and when he knew it.

The New York Times reports that publisher and former Fox News talk show host Judith Regan has filed a 70 page lawsuit against News Corp and Harper Collins in state court in Manhattan over her abrupt firing during the firestorm over her planned publication of O.J. Simpson's book about how he might have killed Nicole Brown Simpson. The text of the lawsuit is here.(pdf)

Regan alleges in the lawsuit that a Fox executive told her to lie to federal investigators about her relationship with Bernie Kerik in order to protect Rudy Giuliani. She says another Fox exec told her not to turn over relevant documents.

Among the reported details of the Regan-Kerik affair:

Ms. Regan had an affair with Mr. Kerik, who is married, beginning in the spring of 2001, when her imprint, Regan Books, began work on his memoir, “The Lost Son.” In December 2004, after the relationship had ended and shortly after Mr. Kerik’s homeland security nomination fell apart, newspapers reported that the two had carried on the affair at an apartment near Ground Zero that had been donated as a respite for rescue and recovery workers.

Fox claimed it fired Regan for alleged anti-semitic comments.

Then there's this from the December 15, 2004, New York Post:

WHEN titian-haired publishing titan Judith Regan took up with former top cop Bernard Kerik, she thought she’d met her match. And vice versa.

But the illicit relationship came tumbling down, a friend of Regan’s told me, not when she discovered her married lover had another mistress. It ended horribly after Regan learned Kerik’s wife was pregnant.

After that jolting discovery, Regan,as volatile, driven and foul-mouthed as any man, began using other words to describe her lover. … The yearlong affair, which began as Regan prepared to publish Kerik’s memoir, was an open secret in town.

Atrios has some memories of Judith. Here's the late Steve Gilliard with more. And here are the details of how Bernie sent New York Homicide cops to the homes of five Fox News makeup artists when Regan claimed her cell phone was missing:

Fahey sent the Manhattan South homicide task force on overtime to roust five Fox television makeup artists at their homes in the middle of the night after Regan fingered them. The five have now filed a notice of claim, i.e. future lawsuit, against Kerik and the city.

TPM reports:

The items Regan said were stolen were later discovered with no indications of theft -- jewelry was later found at the bottom of Regan's handbag, a credit card was later found to have been left behind at a pharmacy, and the missing phone was later found in a garbage can in a TV studio where Regan had been.

It sounds like Judith Regan has tapes. And I'd bet she's willing to use them. While the defendant is News Corp rather than Fox News, her anger seems directed at Rupert Murdoch, who personally gave the order to fire her.

Here's Rudy's press release on Bernie in 2001 when he named the Manhattan Detention Complex after him -- well after members of his staff knew about Bernie's alleged ties to Interstate and Larry Ray:

"I am proud to have had Bernard Kerik serve in my Administration, and delighted that the renaming of this complex will serve as a lasting reminder of his many important achievements."

Here's Rudy at Bernie's retirement dinner (Newsday (New York) April 22, 2002, available on Lexis.com)

Friday at his retirement dinner at the Sheraton, the night was his[Kerik's]. His publisher Judith Regan purchased a table and produced a film presentation of him. Rudolph Giuliani praised Kerik's conduct on Sept. 11 and said that rather than his being a lost son, "He was the brother I never had."

The more details that come out about Bernie, Bernie and Judith, Bernie and Larry Ray and Bernie and Interstate, one can only hope the media will stop letting Rudy Giuliani off the hook for his dismal character judgment and obstinate loyalty to his friends. As I wrote here:

He ignored too many red flags about Kerik. Perhaps it's a case of willful blindness, of being the ostrich burying his head in the sand. Perhaps it's classic arrogance. Perhaps Rudy is just a bad judge of character.

Either way, Rudy put personal loyalty to Kerik above the good of the nation in recommending Kerik to Bush for the Homeland Security job. Rudy doesn't deserve another chance. He doesn't get to say "trust me." There's no do-over on this one.

All of TalkLeft's Bernie Kerik coverage is accessible here.

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  • Display: Sort:
    i do so love unhappy (5.00 / 0) (#3)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 08:18:36 AM EST
    ex spouses. in my job, they are an endless source of information, which they are more than happy to provide, as long as it puts a dart in the ex.

    either rudy figures he's "clean gene", or thought they'd all keep quiet. either way, it's just another nail in his political coffin. one hopes, anyway.

    Pray tell where's the loyalty? (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by lespool on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 10:45:51 AM EST
    Rudy's "... obstinate loyalty to his friends." Uhh, loyalty to his friends? --- What about Rudy's disloyalty to his many and varied wives? Or were they just potted plants?

    One can hardly be defined as loyal when one is disloyal to the only person one is supposed to be intimate with --- X4. Don't give credit where none is do. Rudy Giuliani is a cheap corrupt charlatan who doesn't possess the integrity, humility, intelligence, self-respect, or compassion to know what loyalty means. Let's not make it any worse by allowing this blathering lunatic to redefine the word loyalty.

    Besides, he's an utter humiliation to our species. (--- But I don't really think he's human do you? I think he escaped from the zoo.)

    Amusing (none / 0) (#1)
    by jarober on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 10:18:49 PM EST
    It's all about whose ox is being gored.  Rose law firm records disappearing and then magically reappearing later - the left claims it's irrelevant, and the right harps.  An associate of Guiliani is the central character in some kind of scandal - the outrage is similar, but reversed.  

    Fortunately (5.00 / 0) (#4)
    by Repack Rider on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 09:38:34 AM EST
    Five years and $65 million worth of investigation by fanatical prosecutors with practically unlimited funds failed to identify any crimes committed by the Clintons.

    Since it is impossible to prove a negative, this massive failure to find a positive indicates that Hillary has been as completely vindicated as anyone could be.

    How about spending that kind of time and money investigating the Rudy/Bernie complex?

    Parent

    Hey media, what's THIS makeover going to cost!?! (none / 0) (#2)
    by Ellie on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 02:42:44 AM EST
    Clinton's haircut, Kerry's, Edwards' routine makeup and hair to get camera ready continue to have the GOP and their media shills phonily obsessed. After all, in the Swiftboating SOP, this kind of "first fact" enables a short jump to speaking the retrofitted truthiness about the candidates' appearance-driven shallowness and contempt for how to spend a hard-earned dollar.

    Apparently, "Real" manly men and down to earth gals with tons of inner beauty -- including snorting media personnel like John Roberts, Tim Russert and Ho "Conflict of Interest" Kurtz, all of whom get the same done by routine -- block such fussing done on their own pasty mugs.

    Well as is par for the course, the GOP live to sneer at infinitesimal "gotcha" in their opponents  that comprise a micro-fraction of what they themselves are doing. Imagine what the use of this personnel (hair/makeup pros plus oversight) to keep Rudy Giuliani presentable (and electable) is going to cost! YOWZAH!

    Fahey sent the Manhattan South homicide task force on overtime to roust five Fox television makeup artists at their homes in the middle of the night after Regan fingered them. The five have now filed a notice of claim, i.e. future lawsuit, against Kerik and the city.

    On Overtime to boot!

    Rudy's looking a little green ... can we get some more Salmon No. 98 Man Tan here???

    perhaps, (none / 0) (#6)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 10:28:09 AM EST
    fred thompson should look into this. the guy looks like a walking corpse. is he ill or something?

    Parent
    MSNBC playing story often this A.M. (none / 0) (#5)
    by magster on Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 10:19:34 AM EST
    Having the CEO of a rival network helps keep the story going, I guess.