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3mo ago

Bernard Kerik, 9/11 NYPD Commissioner and Trump Pardon Recipient, Dies at 69

His passing on May 29 after a private illness follows a career spanning more than 40 years across crisis leadership, legal downfall, presidential clemency.

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik arrives for a court hearing in the Manhattan borough of New York August 19, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
U.S. President George W. Bush listens to remarks after he announced that former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik (L), who helped the city respond to the September 11, 2001, attacks and trained Iraqi police, will become the new homeland security secretary, December 3, 2004. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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Overview

  • FBI Director Kash Patel announced Kerik’s death on X, and local reports cited cardiac disease as a possible cause after a private battle with illness.
  • Appointed by Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he served as New York City’s 40th police commissioner during the September 11 attacks, coordinating the NYPD’s rescue and recovery efforts.
  • In 2009, Kerik pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including tax fraud and false statements, and spent nearly three years in prison before his release in 2013.
  • President Donald Trump granted him a full pardon in 2020, restoring his civil rights after the convictions.
  • Across a four-decade career, he also led the city’s Department of Corrections, helped train Iraqi police after the 2003 invasion and drew tributes from figures such as Giuliani and Mayor Eric Adams.