NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani responded to Mayor Eric Adams' statements on Tuesday that he should be investigated for "falsely reporting" a crime after claiming that he was assaulted in a Staten Island supermarket.
During a live Facebook recording, Giuliani said he can't be charged with falsely reporting a crime because he didn't file the initial report that he was assaulted.
“Mayor Adams is an idiot because I didn’t file the report," Giuliani said. "Can you imagine that? He wants to prosecute me for filing a false report I didn’t file. His police department filed the report. They did the investigation. They looked at the tape. He doesn’t really give a damn about victims. I’m a 78-year-old. I may have been a former mayor, but how about considering me a citizen.”
Giuliani also criticized Adams, calling him a "phony" who "doesn't give a damn about victims."
“Adams gets my respect when crime goes down. Until then I don’t care how many cufflinks he wears, how much jewelry he has, how expensive his clothes are, or how many models he hangs around with. Why don’t you stay home and reduce crime? Then you can start criticizing other people. Until then, keep your damn mouth shut and do your job,” he added.
Adams said that he will talk with NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell to see about investigating Giuliani who said he was "hit as if a boulder hit me" by Daniel Gill, a 39-year-old ShopRite employee. Giuliani has also likened the strike to being hit by a bullet.
"Falsely reporting a crime is a crime. And from what he stated about being punched in the head, felt like a bullet. What he stated, there was a lot of creativity. And I think the district attorney, he has the wrong person that he’s investigating," Adams said.
Giuliani was standing with a group of people when a man walking past reached out, touched his back with an open palm, and then said something as he walked away.
Security camera video shared by the New York Post captured the incident which occurred as Giuliani was campaigning for his son, Andrew, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday's primary.
In the video, Giuliani barely reacts when his back was touched, but in interviews afterward he said it knocked him forward and nearly caused him to fall.
"To falsely report a crime is a crime. If that video wasn’t there, then this person would have been charged with punching the former mayor. He would have been charged with all of these offenses that did not materialize," Adams said.
Gill was arrested and was arraigned Monday on misdemeanor charges including third-degree assault, a spokesperson for the Staten Island district attorney said. He was released without bail and is due back in court on Aug. 17.
"I think it’s irresponsible for a former mayor. And when I heard the report that he was punched in the head and other things. When I heard that, I said you know, why would someone assault the former mayor? Now what if we didn’t have the video? This person would have been accused of a serious crime, when all he did was pat the guy on the back. You know, you can’t do sensationalism," Adams added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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