Young: I cautioned Gary on Giuliani

MINISTER of National Security Stuart Young said he had expressed some concern to Commissioner of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith ahead of the CoP on Wednesday meeting Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City (NYC), speaking at yesterday's post-Cabinet briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's. Giuliani was credited with cutting crime in NYC and uniting the city after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, but attracted controversy over issues such as his divorce and for his professional role as advisor and attorney to President Trump.

Young said on Wednesday, Griffith had told him of his plans to meet Giuliani.

“I just expressed some caution,” Young related. “‘Be careful with your meeting and don’t make any commitment, etcetera.’

But he added Griffith may have seen it fit to pay a courtesy call on Giuliani whom he would have met previously as minister of national security through Giuliani’s consultancy firm, and this visit was just "a continuation".

Young said, “As a member of Government and Minister of National Security, I’m not going to bury my head in the sand. Mr Giuliani has found himself surrounded in Washington DC in some levels of controversy. “So I do note, with a level of concern, what goes on all over the world, and that is one of the issues I see on a daily basis.”

Young earlier said his relationship with the CoP was like walking a fine line to avoid accusations of undue influence, as his own role was to set policy and strategy.

Newsday was unable to contact Griffith to ask of his talks with Giuliani.