Bernie Kerik Rudy Giuliani Bernie Kerik Rudy Giuliani

Just helping out...

For all of Rudy Giuliani’s many controversial associates, I suspect he’d be most pleased if the name “Bernie Kerik” is never uttered in public again. Kerik, of course, was Giuliani’s police commissioner and the man Giuliani recommended to head Bush’s Department of Homeland Security.

And while Kerik’s name quickly became an embarrassment for the former mayor, it keeps getting worse.

Bernard Kerik’s legal nightmare is about to get worse, with federal prosecutors expected to file charges against the former police commissioner that will likely include allegations of bribery, tax fraud and obstruction of justice, the Daily News has learned.

The indictment, expected next month, could prove to be an embarrassing obstacle for Kerik’s former mentor Rudy Giuliani, who is cruising at the top of the polls heading into the presidential primary gauntlet.

The bribery allegations against Kerik stem from a secret meeting at a bar in Tribeca, according to two sources familiar with the federal probe.

For several years, Kerik had no greater champion than Rudy Giuliani, who promoted him to New York correction commissioner, then to police commissioner. Giuliani then gave Kerik a job at Giuliani Partners, before urging the Bush White House to make Kerik the top man at the Department of Homeland Security.

The New York Daily News noted that Kerik’s latest charges “will have direct implications for Giuliani.” I think that’s a safe assumption.