Edwards camp: Giuliani exploiting 9/11

The Edwards campaign criticized Giuliani's ground zero comments Friday.

(CNN) – Democratic presidential contender John Edwards, who attacked his party’s frontrunner this week over lobbyists, is now taking on the Republican leader in the polls.

The Edwards campaign put out a statement Friday criticizing Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s recent comments regarding September 11th as a “break from reality.”

Giuliani was in Cincinnati Thursday, defending his role on 9/11 against claims made last month by a firefighters’ union. The former New York City mayor told reporters, “This is not a mayor or a governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers.” He added, “I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

On Friday, Edwards campaign manager David Bonior said in a statement, “Evidently, Rudy Giuliani has taken a break from reality. It is outrageous for Giuliani to suggest, in any way, shape or form, that he did more at ground zero or spent more time there than the brave first responders who worked tirelessly around the clock for many months during the rescue and recovery operation."

"It seems that Giuliani is determined to take every opportunity to exploit the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible sacrifices of our first responders," he added. "Enough is enough. Mayor Giuliani should start answering the serious questions of why firefighters and other first responders didn't have proper equipment and support.”

Giuliani campaign spokesperson Katie Levinson hit back in a written statement of her own, less than an hour after the Edwards release hit reporters’ in-boxes. She said, “For John Edwards to lecture Rudy Giuliani about September 11th is laughable at best. This is, after all, the same guy who thinks the War on Terror is simply a ‘bumper sticker.’"