Giuliani's son loses West Wing access
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Rudy Giuliani's son, Andrew Giuliani. Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic via Getty Images
Several months ago, Donald Trump ordered the promotion of Rudy Giuliani’s son. But instead of getting promoted, he has lost his West Wing pass.
Details: Trump ordered junior White House staffer Andrew Giuliani’s promotion after dining at Mar-a-Lago with Rudy Giuliani, who subsequently became the president’s lawyer. He directed his body man, Jordan Karem, to ensure Kelly promoted Andrew to special assistant to the president, according to sources familiar with the conversation.
The backdrop: A source close to Trump and the Giulianis said the president is “genuinely fond” of Andrew, and believes he helped mend the father-son relationship after Rudy and Andrew’s mother divorced.
Andrew also volunteered on the Trump campaign. He's a scratch golfer and has played many rounds with Trump over the years, according to a source familiar their relationship.
"The president has been there for me, for the good times, but more importantly through the bad. That's just the kind of man he is. I'm grateful that he's always been willing to give me his advice on personal matters and I consider him to be my good friend and even a father figure. His family is my family."— Andrew Giuliani told Axios
Yes, but: We're told that chief of staff John Kelly did not follow through on the order, and Andrew has not been promoted.
- Kelly and others, including Office of Public Liaison director Justin Clark, won't promote Andrew because they think he "subverts the chain of command" and claim he had other issues in the workplace that they weren't happy about, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
- According to a source familiar, Kelly took away Andrew's blue staff pass about two weeks ago, revoking his West Wing access. He now only has a green pass, which means he can’t enter the West Wing without an escort.
It's unclear whether Trump knows his order wasn't followed.
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