November 5, 2009
Posted: November 5th, 2009 12:15 PM ET
Kerik pleads guilty to misleading White House.
Kerik pleads guilty to misleading White House.

White Plains, New York (CNN) - Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday pleaded guilty to giving false statements to Bush administration officials who vetted his unsuccessful 2004 nomination for homeland security secretary.

Kerik, 54, also indicated that he would admit to tax violations as part of a plea agreement in exchange for a recommended sentence of less than three years in prison.

Kerik had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a variety of corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York.

In December 2008, prosecutors charged him with making several false statements to the White House and other federal officials when he applied for positions in the Bush administration, including his nomination to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In 2006, he pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts while he worked as city corrections commissioner, but under his plea agreement he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time. His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who admitted his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake."

–CNN's Mary Snow contributed to this report.

Filed under: Bernard Kerik


Stephen Baker   November 5th, 2009 3:00 pm ET

Wasn't he one of Rudy G.'s buddies?

What a creep! (Take it either way.)

Lisa in Fl   November 5th, 2009 2:40 pm ET

Guiliani 2012! lol

enough already   November 5th, 2009 2:39 pm ET

This is how vetting should be. He was not made a part of the administration.

Obama simply appoints, the Democrats approve. It doesn't matter if they encourage pedophilia and communism.

Please stopr censoring...thx S Callahan   November 5th, 2009 2:39 pm ET

This guy got screwed...it's what he knows and people don't want you to know....and they made sure to set it up so he can't do a thing except plead guilty. It's from the old book...do repairs with a smile on your face and a knife in your back. Sad all around.

evman   November 5th, 2009 2:36 pm ET

This guy belongs in jail. Lying, thief, moron !

Jack in Florida   November 5th, 2009 2:34 pm ET

What a shame......when I lived in NY, I respected Bernie Kerik and Rudy Giuliani as I thought they did a great job managing NYC.................then Bernie got too big for his britches and came tumbling down and Rudy fell in love with his gold digger wife..........a very sad story indeed.

ran   November 5th, 2009 2:33 pm ET

Go straight to jail do not stop to collect any pardons.

Joe M   November 5th, 2009 2:25 pm ET

Maybe this guy, Bush, Cheney and Rove, can get a GROUP DISCOUNT in prison..

Texas Doc   November 5th, 2009 2:24 pm ET

So I couldn't help but notice that this guy look slike G. Gordon Liddy. Does that mean he's going to prison?

Ted   November 5th, 2009 2:14 pm ET

Glad to see this criminal go down and his future will be one of ex-felon. This jerk is a disgrace to the NYPD and everything else he has been a part of.

Conserva-Baggers are bad for America   November 5th, 2009 2:13 pm ET

Look out, Rudy . . . they're coming for you next!

diridi   November 5th, 2009 2:12 pm ET

get Dick Cheney too..he needs to be prosecuted..too...

C. Farrell, Houston, Tx   November 5th, 2009 2:11 pm ET

Remember Kerik is Giuliani's buddy and Giuliani picked him. Makes you wonder if he'll squeel before going to prison.

diridi   November 5th, 2009 2:10 pm ET

get Dick Cheney too...ok

Beverly in NC   November 5th, 2009 2:04 pm ET

The Bush/Cheney admininstration was nothing but lies and corruption so what is one more lie added to the pile. Cheney needs to be prosecuted for ordering the CIA to lie to Pelosi and to Congress (which a felony) and for ordering Scooter Libby (his aide) to commit treason by outing a CIA agent, Valeria Pflame, because her husband would not go along with lying for Cheney about WMDs in Iraq.

Cheney ordered torture, lied to Congress, lied to the UN, broke the Geneva Convention on torture ban, started a fraudulent war in Iraq that murdered tens of thousands of American soldiers, gave all Iraq oil contracts to his own company (Haliburton), ordered the CIA to lie, committed treason by exposing an undercover CIA agent, and committed other crimes against our Constitution.

Cheney needs to go to jail for the rest of his life and his idiot daughter needs to get off of TV. Liz Chenet was fired from 3 State Dept jobs for incompetence, so why is she suddenly a valid, credible GOP "strategist"? She is as crooked and incompetent and untrustworthy as her father. We have more than enough of Cheneys lying to Americans as it is.

B   November 5th, 2009 1:59 pm ET

This guy should be locked up for more than a couple of years!
I can’t understand why they feel it necessary to plea-bargain with these lying hoods...

If it was you or I, we would be in jail for a very long time.

Michael-SC   November 5th, 2009 1:55 pm ET

why is he not in jail?
Waterboard him and see what else you can find out.
Politicians = crooks

Barry   November 5th, 2009 1:52 pm ET

And Bush is going to be prosecuted for lying to the American public exactly when?

carlos, THAT one   November 5th, 2009 1:49 pm ET

and who recommended this crook for the job???????? RUDY...no more comments from me on this subject

Erik S.   November 5th, 2009 1:47 pm ET

When will we see Cheney/Bush convicted? Soon, I hope.

It's never going to happen. Grow up.

LacrosseMom   November 5th, 2009 1:47 pm ET

Another crooked GOPER! What a joke! The Republicans love to demonize, condemn the Liberals, and they are not so...... perfect after all!
And to think that Bush had nominated this guy for Homeland Security Secretary!

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones!

aproudmemberofthepatrioticmob   November 5th, 2009 1:41 pm ET

why are people are surprised with this???

Bush – Cheney era was the darkest era in our history – Ofcourse, I would expect the most crooked to apply for senior posts – it is like a family thingi!!!

Achievements of Cheney::
-----------–
1) Economy crashed – Used all the possible shiitty means to get the funds for the idiotic war in Iraq (nothing was on budget etc etc)
2) More of the humanity in the world hated us
3) The more influential and the stinky rich got ahead of the hard working , smarter people (leading to a wall street disaster and a near world economy collapse)
4) Took us back about 100 years because of #3 and the loss of economic power and hindering of real progress
5) Last but not the least important – leave us with the REST of our lives with this fear of the life (removing shoes at airport, checking the rectums for suspicious material blah blah blah – we will never ever get out of it)

Connie, Indiana   November 5th, 2009 1:30 pm ET

How come when a republican is caught lying or pandering it is a "MISTAKE", but when a democrat does something similar, it is time to expel them from congress or the senate..How many "MISTAKES" is acceptable to the right..

Tina   November 5th, 2009 1:29 pm ET

And this is the crook who Geraldo Rivera was whining about him being in jail. Jail is abviously where he belongs. It's disgusting how these crooks can pay a few dollars for a fine and avoid jail time.

vette gal   November 5th, 2009 1:26 pm ET

Are there any honest people anymore?

hadelaide   November 5th, 2009 1:21 pm ET

Where is the dodo bird of twitter? Has Rudy been palling around with felons? After all, it is an established fact that they were the dynamic duo of 9/11.

Next!!!!

Peggy - TX   November 5th, 2009 1:16 pm ET

Testament to the incompetents of Bush/Cheney.

I feel a great deal safer now that President Obama is responsible for our national security.

I understand clearly why President Obama won the Noble Pease prize: the world is a safer place one after the last election, then it was the day before the election.

It is funny to how folks are distancing themselves from Bush, but still support republicans in general. But Bush/Cheney is exactly what results from the type of political Machine the Republican Party has become – evil personified.

Although I lend to progressive, I would like to see a Conservative party emerge that at least has a legitimate purpose such as fiscal responsibility unlike the current Republican Party that is fixated on destroying Obama even if America is damaged in the process.

Dave   November 5th, 2009 1:11 pm ET

So he pleads guilty to lying to the biggest liars ever to occupy the White House. When will Bush and Cheney get their day in court?

too bad the republiklans lack ideas   November 5th, 2009 1:05 pm ET

take him to jail along with ms. Cheney and GW Dubya!

Tomm   November 5th, 2009 12:58 pm ET

You GO girl, Fast Forward, and straight into a block wall. Splat.

gary davis Harbor Oregon   November 5th, 2009 12:52 pm ET

SO don;'t stop with him go get his boss ( RUDY GIULIANI along with CHENEY ROVE and the rest of the liers :)

OldUncleTom   November 5th, 2009 12:51 pm ET

I'm old enough to remember when "security consulting" was called "protection rackets".

Needless to say, the only surprising thing I am seeing is someone actually going to jail, even with a plea-bargained short term.

With a little luck, American will be spared future examples of "noun, verb, 911".

GI Joe   November 5th, 2009 12:50 pm ET

When will we see Cheney/Bush convicted? Soon, I hope.

Seattle Sue   November 5th, 2009 12:45 pm ET

Can Rudy be far behind Kerik? Birds of a feather flock together.

American Expat   November 5th, 2009 12:39 pm ET

Another GOPer caught with his hand in the cookie jar! And, typically, trying to plead his way out.

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