Video of Rudy saying we didn't "have any successful radical Islamic terrorist attacks in the U.S." before Obama: pic.twitter.com/3tC1InfZj0
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) August 15, 2016
Rudy Giuliani seemed to have a developed a case of selective memory while introducing Donald Trump and Mike Pence at a rally in Ohio yesterday. In the video above, Giuliani appears to say that no radical-Islamic terrorist attacks were executed in the US during George W. Bush's administration—neglecting to mention 9/11, the event that defined Giuliani's time as the mayor of New York City.
"Under those eight years, before Obama came along, we didn’t have any successful radical-Islamic terrorist attack in the United States," Giuliani told supporters."Those all started when Clinton and Obama got into office."
Twitter was quick to correct the omission:
Rudi Giuliani forgetting about 9/11 is the 9/11 of never forgetting.
— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) August 15, 2016
Oh so now we need #RudyGiulianiHistory because "America's Mayor" just erased 9/11 from the books #RudyGiulianihttps://t.co/fYccfJnYxC
— Tara Rodham Dublin (@taradublinrocks) August 15, 2016
Rudy Giuliani mood pic.twitter.com/QfrGZVwYbV
— V.L (@VdotL) August 15, 2016
A longer version of the clip shows the full context of Giuliani's remarks, where he does, indeed mention 9/11:
Here’s longer clip that includes context around Rudy’s “before Obama came along” remark. He was talking post-9/11. https://t.co/pzYxPIY0KE
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) August 15, 2016
So, Giuliani didn't forget 9/11, he just conveniently left it out of the timeframe of the Bush administration. Maddow Blog's Steve Benen says this clip doesn't exactly absolve Giuliani:
It’s not that Giuliani forgot about 9/11 today; it’s just that the New York Republican appears to start the clock after the deadly attacks. He seems to operate from the assumption that the Bush/Cheney record is exemplary and worthy of emulation, just so long as Americans choose to overlook the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the country.