People who know Rudy Giuliani are torn on whether he's lost it or is living his best life


There is no in between with Rudy Giuliani — one day he'll go to Yankee Stadium and get booed by a massive crowd, only to hit up a Manhattan restaurant a few weeks later and take selfies with people thanking him for helping President Trump.
Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, became Trump's lawyer earlier this year, working for free. He's the one who appears on television to declare that the president won't be talking to Special Counsel Robert Mueller anytime soon, and to share with a shocked Sean Hannity that yes, Trump knew about the hush money payment his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Several of Giuliani's friends and former coworkers told The New York Times that he's changed since becoming enmeshed with Trump, first as a campaign surrogate and now as a lawyer. Daniel C. Richman, a prosecutor under Giuliani when he was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said he felt "honored to serve under him and thrilled to work in his office. Now I feel embarrassed to be connected to him." Giuliani is "hectoring" and "bullying" people, he added, and "seems untethered to the respect for the law and decency that I knew him to have had."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One close friend told the Times everyone needs to keep in mind that Giuliani "survived prostate cancer and just got out of a rough marriage. I think he's feeling a little emboldened now." Longtime aide Anthony Carbonetti is still a supporter, and he wants people to stop looking at Giuliani as merely Trump's lawyer. "It pains me that Rudy is the most transformative figure in New York in the last 100 years — and too many people only know him for defending the president," he said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'