Rudy Faulted on Safety at Ground Zero

Rudy Giuliani's leadership in the aftermath of 9/11 made him America's hero, and the GOP's top presidential candidate. But thousands of the firefighters and construction workers who cleaned up Ground Zero now claim that the mayor's single-minded drive to see the city rebound from the attacks is to blame for respiratory illnesses they've suffered.

Giuliani, who sidelined experienced federal agencies in running the clean-up, is accused of sacrificing safety for speed, the Times reports in a lengthy examination of a lawsuit filed against the city. "The city ran a generally slipshod, haphazard, uncoordinated, unfocused response to environmental concerns," says one expert. Because of the lawsuit, members of the Giuliani team do not comment.
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