Giuliani’s appearance nets $85K
| WILKES-BARRE – Monday night’s fundraising dinner featuring Rudy Giuliani was attended by 300 supporters and raised more than $85,000 for Lou Barletta for Congress, a campaign spokesman said.
The former New York City mayor spoke at the dinner and shared the podium with Barletta at a press conference preceding the dinner. Barletta is squaring off against 13-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, for the 11th Congressional District seat in November. Shawn Kelly, Barletta’s campaign spokesman, said Giuliani was not paid to appear. Media were not allowed inside the dinner at Genetti Hotel & Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre. Kanjorski took issue with keeping the media out, but Kelly said it was a campaign decision. “We cut the time our guests would have with Mayor Giuliani specifically to allow the media a closed-door Q&A session,” Kelly said. The Kanjorski campaign criticized Giuliani’s appearance. “Obviously, the New York city resident hasn’t been to Hazleton lately,” said Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski’s campaign spokesman. “Maybe he’s making too much money with his Wall Street friends and is pre-occupied launching another failed presidential campaign.” Mitchell said if Giuliani visited Hazleton, he would “find a decrepit infrastructure of pot-holed streets and a deteriorated downtown.” Kelly said the attack on Giuliani was expected. “Another day, more attacks from Kanjorski,” Kelly said. “Kanjorski is the one who’s taken more than $4.2 million from Wall Street interests. Kanjorski’s failed economic policies led to a recession and the highest regional unemployment rate in 18 years.” |