EXCLUSIVE: Rudy Giuliani Says He Would Have Gave Ex-Marine Daniel Penny A Bravery Medal

Rudy Giuliani says he would have given ex-Marine Daniel Penny a bravery medal had he still been mayor, as he lashed out at politicians who “empower criminals” in a new interview.

Penny, 24, was charged last week with second-degree manslaughter over the stranglehold of mentally ill drifter Jordan Neely, 30, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

But in an excerpt from a new interview obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, former New York City Mayor Giuliani said Penny “did what he had to do and protected people.”

Donald Trump’s loyalist added, “The city should do it.”

Giuliani, 79, spoke on a new episode of Miss Understood – a podcast run by Tiger Woods’ ex-mistress Rachel Uchitel.

Trump loyalist said New York’s current crime spree makes the city feel as dangerous as it did in the 1970s and 1980s

During the interview, he lashed out at current mayor Eric Adams, saying the city’s approach is to “empower criminals,” while also angrily refuting widespread claims that he has a drinking problem.

But he saved his greatest anger for the city’s response to the subway crime spree currently plaguing New York, saying he no longer uses the subway and leaning on Penny for his response to Neely when he rode the same subway on May 2. stepped.

Neely, who was on a city list of mentally ill people in urgent need of help at the time of his death, had previously made more than 40 arrests for crimes, including assaulting an elderly woman in the street.

According to passengers, Neely became ‘very aggressive’ after boarding the F train – threatening to kill people and throw rubbish at them.

In the viral clip, Penny, who was in New York looking for bar work, can be seen on the floor of the train with Neely in a chokehold – which he said he did in an attempt to stop the rampage.

Tragically, the 30-year-old lost consciousness while being held and EMTs who arrived at the scene were unable to revive him.

The incident sparked outrage after footage of the confrontation went viral, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demanding that Penny be charged with murder, while at Neely’s funeral, Rev. Al Sharpton told the congregation: “When they strangled Jordan, they put their arms all of us’.

But Giuliani told Uchitel that AOC and Sharpton got it wrong, telling her that Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul let crime get out of hand – and that Penny acted the only way he could when he met Neely was confronted.

Giuliani said, “The man [Dnaiel Penny]should get a medal. If I had been mayor I would have taken him to city hall and given him an award.

Jordan Neely passed out while restrained by Penny, and EMTs who arrived at the scene were unable to revive him

He said, ‘The man [Penny]should get a medal. If I had been mayor I would have taken him to city hall and given him an award.

“I would have said what you did was very brave. You had no idea if you would have been killed.

‘[Neely] walked into the train, screaming and yelling, throwing garbage at them [the passengers]by basically telling them that he is going to kill them.

Then he took off his jacket and threw it on the floor. When he took off his coat, you had to say, is he going to kill someone?

“The sergeant of the Navy acted exactly as he should when that jacket came off—that’s the time to stop him because if you wait, there’s a chance he’s going to kill someone.

“People came forward who had been beaten up by this guy and said I wish Penny had been there when I got beat up.

“The man has 45 arrests. We are, in effect, enabling criminals to take to the streets. He did what he had to do and protected people. The city should do it.’

Giuliani, whose time as mayor included a zero-tolerance policy for petty crime, said New York’s current crime spree makes the city feel as dangerous as it did in the 1970s and 1980s.

He said, ‘It’s like deja vu. It’s like living in the 70’s and 80’s before I was mayor. No, I’m not taking the subway. We are basically empowering criminals and it will keep people away.”

Penny, who faces 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter, has also spoken about what happened in a series of Instagram posts following his May 12 arrest.

He denied being a racist killer and insisted he had no intention of harming Neely, but said he felt an obligation to protect the women and children who traveled with him on the F train that day.

Penny said, “There’s a common misconception that Marines don’t get scared. We actually learned that one of our core values ​​is courage, and courage is not the absence of fear, but how you deal with fear.

“I was scared for myself, but I looked around, there were women and children, he was screaming in their faces as he made these threats. I just couldn’t sit still.’

Giuliani, 79, spoke on a new episode of Miss Understood – a podcast run by Tiger Woods’ ex-mistress Rachel Uchitel

Giuliani stands next to then President-elect Donald Trump in November 2016

During the interview, Giuliani was also asked about persistent rumors that he is an alcoholic and he angrily denied this – saying he was fed up with the personal attacks.

He told Uchitel: “They have investigated me more thoroughly than anyone except Donald Trump. They took everything I have and they found nothing.

They couldn’t even come up with anything. I wish they would stop these ridiculous attacks. They said I’m an alcoholic. Somebody just said when I wake up in the morning I drink whiskey.

‘It’s completely ridiculous. How could I ever have achieved what I have if I was an alcoholic. An alcoholic who destroyed the mafia?

“An alcoholic who could take over and change the Teamsters Union? An alcoholic who ran the city on 9/11?’

Giuliani added, “I don’t mind if you oppose me politically. My political views are conservative and republican and I respect people who are liberal and democrat.

“I have no respect for people who lie about me and get so mad that they have to attack me personally and worse. Getting worse. I’ve read things about me that have nothing to do with who I am.

“Some things that could damage my reputation. My reputation as a lawyer is very important to me.’

Uchitel’s Miss Understood podcast is out now.