Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani came to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s defense on Sunday, saying the New York businessman’s remarks were lewd but not outside of the scope of male banter behind closed doors.
“The fact is that men at times talk like that,” Mr. Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Not all men, but men do. He was wrong for doing it. I am not justifying it. I believe it’s wrong. I know he believes it’s wrong. I believe that this is not the man that we’re talking about today.”
“Gosh almighty, he who is without sin here throw the first stone,” he added.
Those remarks drew the ire of CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who said he is “happy to throw a stone” in this case.
“I will gladly tell you, Mr. Mayor, I have never said that. I have never done that. I am happy to throw a stone,” Mr. Tapper said. “I don’t know any man — I’ve been in locker rooms, I’ve been a member of a fraternity. I have never heard any man ever brag about being able to maul women because he can get away with it. Never.”
“We’ve taken it to an extra degree of what he said,” Mr. Giuliani responded, adding that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton may have done worse while defending her husband from accusations of sexual assault.
“The fact that you’re really upset about this, but, gosh almighty, there were an awful lot of things, particularly Hillary Clinton attacking the women who Bill Clinton sexually assaulted, sexually abused, and she was the leader of the attack against them,” he said.
Crude comments Mr. Trump made about women in 2005 surfaced last week, depicting the former reality TV personality discussing the aggressive sexual behavior he could get away with as a celebrity.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.