Former New York mayor Giuliani rallies Trump supporters in Las Vegas
With just under two days until the general election, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani rallied Donald Trump supporters Sunday morning in Las Vegas, saying the stakes in this election are greater than a four-year term.
“Now we’re voting for 20 or 30 years on the Supreme Court,” Giuliani said to the standing-room-only crowd at Trump-Pence headquarters in Las Vegas. “The vote that gets cast on Tuesday, and who wins, will determine what our country is like 20 years from now, and 30 years from now when a lot of us are gone, and it’s our children’s country. What kind of country do we want to leave for them?”
He said a conservative Supreme Court would knock regulations down, while a liberal Supreme Court would “knock them up.”
“And business will suffer,” he added.
Giuliani, also a former federal prosecutor, also spoke at an afternoon event that volunteers attended at a Republican office in Summerlin.
His visit to Las Vegas came as news broke that FBI Director James Comey notified lawmakers that the agency hasn’t changed its conclusion from its July decision to not recommend charges against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
In late October, the FBI had notified Congress it had additional emails to review, a move that both revived questions about Clinton’s email issue and drew criticism for its timing just 11 days before the election. The FBI in July had originally announced its recommendation to not seek charges, but did call the server arrangement “extremely careless.”
“It’s not over yet,” Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, said in response to an audience question about the development. “Who knows what he’ll say tomorrow.”
He called it a “highly prosecutorial case.”
In an interview, Giuliani said questionable activity extends to other areas as well, pointing to WikiLeaks revelations about the Clinton Foundation and what he and other critics call a “pay to play” State Department that rewarded donors with access.
He also criticized Clinton’s handling of classified and sensitive information.
“They have let her get away with extreme carelessness to the point of obviously intentional conduct largely because the Clintons, I think, are considered by the Democratic administration too big to prosecute,” Giuliani said.
Much of his morning speech centered on Trump’s platform, including securing the borders and strengthening the military.
“When Donald Trump is negotiating with China or Putin, or the radical Islamic terrorists, he’ll have standing behind him the greatest army in the history of the world,” Giuliani said of the Republican nominee.
He also urged those in the room to get out the vote by knocking on doors and making telephone calls.
“If we sit on our hands and we’re not aggressive, we could lose,” Giuliani said, adding he’s “a little suspicious of (Senate minority leader) Harry Reid’s machine.”
“The Trump voters are sitting at home, ready to give him Nevada,” he said.
Helen and Bruce Price of Henderson already cast their ballots for Trump, but they’re hoping for a big turnout on Tuesday.
“We’re surprised it’s so close and that Trump isn’t running away with it honestly, with everything that’s happening in the world,” Helen Price said. “I think they (voters) feel hopeless. I think they think it’s not going to make a difference — but they can.”
Becky and Roy Vajdak, residents of Temple, Texas and members of the Mighty Texas Strike Force — a get-out-the-vote volunteer effort — have been in Clark County for the past five days, driving volunteers around to knock on doors and encourage people to vote.
“Since my precinct is taken care of, I felt I could do more here than in Texas, so we volunteered to come here,” Becky Vajdak said. “It’s just amazing to me the turnout that is here. People really want to help close the gap.”
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter. Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.