Rudy Giuliani's ties to foreign clients could mean an unprecedented conflict of interest if he is named secretary of state

Rudy Giuliani.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is reportedly the leading candidate for secretary of state under President-elect Donald Trump, although his ties to foreign clients could mean an unprecedented conflict of interest, Politico reports.

After leaving the mayor's office in 2001, Giuliani served as a lawyer and consultant with ties to clients such as an Iranian political party that had formerly been designated a terrorist organization, a Qatar state-run oil company, a Singapore gambling tycoon linked to North Korea and involved in organized crime in the U.S., and an oil company at one point run by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, among others. "When some of those ties surfaced amid Giuliani's own presidential bid in 2007, they were considered to pose an unprecedented number of ethical quandaries for a potential commander in chief," Politico writes.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.