'Mad Hatter': Giuliani's Lincoln Filter Video Decrying McAuliffe Causes Stir Online
21:08 GMT 20.10.2021 (Updated: 13:01 GMT 14.04.2023)
© Photo : Twitter/ Rudy W. Giuliani
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In the footage, Giuliani refers to a scandal that erupted in 1997, when McAuliffe was accused of masterminding a scheme to rent out the White House's Lincoln Bedroom to campaign donors during Bill Clinton's presidency. No charges were ever brought, however.
Former NYC mayor and ex-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has released a video in support of Republican Glenn Youngkin, who is running for Virginia governor against Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
“Virginia, vote against the man who dishonored our past by selling my bedroom hundreds and hundreds of times to scoundrels in a pay-for-play scheme!” Giuliani addressed voters in Virginia wearing a Lincoln top hat and Amish beard.
#mcauliffeisbad just listen to Abe pic.twitter.com/tQbS9EVJ3Q
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) October 19, 2021
“In my time, we had a name for men who sold bedrooms for one night. In your time, the name is Terry McAuliffe! End the Clinton sleaze once and for all!" the former Trump lawyer added.
Social media users apparently did not appreciate Giuliani's sense of humor, and, to put it mildly, seemed puzzled by the use of the filter of the 16th US President.
Someone has even dubbed him 'Mad Hatter'.
the Mad Hatter #rudygiuliani #TheMadHatter https://t.co/rN8Lm7Dr9t
— #nurishtable (@nurishtable) October 20, 2021
Congrats, Rudy. This is the second-worst thing a bad actor did to Lincoln. https://t.co/4qJ3AwxiRJ
— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) October 20, 2021
One user posted a meme featuring an ouija board for summoning spirits, through which Lincoln allegedly announced that he was leaving the Republican Party altogether.
— Justin Smith (@JASmith0099) October 20, 2021
While a huge number of users in the comments noted that Giuliani's account had blocked them, probably for ridicule and insults directed at the former lawyer, others recalled Giuliani's previous, and equally cringy, costume performances, or urged him to act a bit more dignified during his addresses, given his political background.
— grollen (@grollen) October 19, 2021
You are a former U.S. Attorney.
— Michael J. Stern (@MichaelJStern1) October 20, 2021
You are a former Mayor of New York City.
What in the hell happened to you...and when does it end?
— Christine Galea (@chrisgalea) October 20, 2021
McAuliffe, in fact, enjoyed a close relationship with both Bill and Hillary Clinton, and he was one of their top fundraisers and served as co-chairman of Clinton's reelection campaign in 1996 and as chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential primary campaign in 2008.
In 1997, Congress looked into allegations that McAuliffe and Clinton orchestrated the plan in 1994 while Mr. McAuliffe was the Democratic National Committee's finance head.
According to the probe, McAuliffe had a discussion with then-president Clinton in late December 1994, after Republicans won congressional majorities in both the House and Senate in the midterm elections — the first time in 40 years that the GOP had gained control of the House of Representatives. Then, he reportedly wrote a memo to the then-director of Oval Office operations, Nancy Hernreich, in which he suggested that the president should spend more time with the donors of his reelection campaign.
Hernreich admitted that she later handwrote "overnight," but she could not remember who had initiated the proposal. On the other side of the memo, in the president's hand, it read “Ready to start overnights right away."
The US Department of Justice never filed any charges in connection with the case. According to media reports at that time, the bedroom renting practice was considered somewhat indecent, but not unlawful and not unusual.
