Exhibit A in Rudy Giuliani's Bush-like loyalty is his longtime refusal to fire a priest credibly accused of teen molestation from his consulting firm or campaign. As Brian Ross reports, he even hired him at the firm months after the accusations surfaced:
Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani hired a Catholic priest to work in his consulting firm months after the priest was accused of sexually molesting two former students and an altar boy and told by the church to stop performing his priestly duties.
The priest, Monsignor Alan Placa, a longtime friend of Giuliani and the priest who officiated at his second wedding to Donna Hanover, continues to work at Giuliani Partners in New York, to the outrage of some of his accusers and victims' groups, which have begun to protest at Giuliani campaign events.
"This man did unjust things, and he's being protected and employed and taken care of. It's not a good thing," said one of the accusers, Richard Tollner, who says Placa molested him repeatedly when he was a student at a Long Island, N.Y. Catholic boys high school in 1975.
Giuliani, who seems unable to hold any of his friends accountable for anything - remind you of anyone? - still sticks by the guy:
"I know the man; I know who he is, so I support him," Giuliani said. "We give some of the worst people in our society the presumption of innocence and benefit of the doubt," he said. "And, of course, I'm going to give that to one of my closest friends."
What does Sean Hannity say about presidential candidates harboring child molesters? And Bill O'Reilly?