MR. RUSSERT: And here’s an article that was written by The Wall Street Journal. “Giuliani could face questions about his business ties if he wins his party’s nomination. The Qatar contract offers a window into the” political “potential complications. While Qatar is a U.S. ally, it has drawn scrutiny for its involvement in the U.S. effort to combat terrorism. In” ‘96, “the FBI went to Qatar to arrest al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, then under indictment in New York for a plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners. But Mr. Mohammad slipped away, apparently tipped off by an al-Qaeda sympathizer in the Qatari government, U.S. officials told the bipartisan” September 11th “commission. Mr. Mohammad went on to mastermind the September 11th, 2001 attacks.”

Salon.com asked you this question: “Are you aware that the interior minister appointed in 2001 and reappointed this year by the emir of Qatar is Abdullah al-Thani, the former minister of Islamic affairs and a strict Wahhabi Muslim who has been identified in U.S. press and government reports as a protector of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?”

Are you?

MR. GIULIANI: Am I aware of it?

MR. RUSSERT: Yes.

MR. GIULIANI: I—I’m, I’m aware of it now.

MR. RUSSERT: Why would you do business with people who helped Khalid Sheikh Mohammad?

MR. GIULIANI: The reality is that Qatar is an ally of the United States. There are a significant number of American troops that are stationed in Qatar. What we did for them and do for them is security for their facilities. And this is a country that is an ally of ours in the, in the, in the Middle East to the extent that it has a very significant number of American troops stationed there.