Rudy Giuliani has come under fire for selling signed 9/11 T-shirts for $911 (£677).
CNN anchor Jon Avlon, who used to work for the former New York mayor, blasted Mr Giuliani for using the terrorist attack to sell merchandise.
“It is loathsome. It’s a total disrespect for the dead. It has not been going on for a while,” Mr Avlon said. “It is a departure and a further descent for Rudy from principles he once would have held.”
Mr Giuliani served as the Mayor of New York from 1994 until the end of 2001 and became known as “America’s Mayor” for his celebrated handling of the terror attacks on 11 September 2001, when almost 3,000 people lost their lives.
The former district attorney for the Southern District of New York has since fallen from grace in the eyes of many, most recently because of his part in the Big Lie – pushing former President Donald Trump’s baseless conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen.
The shirts are being sold on the website of WABC Radio, where Mr Giuliani, 77, regularly hosts a programme.
The description on the page of the autographed shirts states that “Rudy Giuliani will personally autograph the 9/11 T-shirt” and that a “portion of proceeds go to the WABC Radio Foundation, a 501c3 charity”.
The page doesn’t say what the portion is. Mr Giuliani is facing steep legal costs as a result of representing Mr Trump in their failed attempts to overturn the election. The Independent reported last year that Mr Trump allegedly ordered aides not to pay Mr Giuliani after he requested $20,000 a day for his work.
“Never forget. 20 years. Remembering & Reuniting. With Rudy Giuliani,” the text on the shirt says.
Twitter users slammed Mr Giuliani for selling the shirts, with one writing: “I didn’t think it was possible to have a lower opinion of Rudy Giuliani until I learned he’s selling autographed 911 T-shirts for $911. Utterly appalling.”
“Something went very wrong for him to become mayor of New York,” another person said. “I can’t believe he only became this awful after sustained contact with Trump.”
“Rudy Giuliani is selling autographed 9/11 shirts for $911.00. Of all the things he’s done, this pisses me off the most,” a third Twitter user wrote.
“Even for Giuliani, this is a new low and it is so gross,” another account holder said.
“I’d say ‘Has he no shame?’ but we already know the answer after his post-election antics,” one person wrote on the platform.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Giuliani and 77 WABC Radio for comment.
