Two days after Rudy Giuliani said a worker had assaulted him at a New York City supermarket, the former mayor was spending Tuesday like many men his age: complaining about his aches and pains. Despite a video that quickly emerged showing that a supermarket worker had merely tapped Giuliani on the back, Giuliani held fast to his narrative: He was attacked. Giuliani's allegation that he was assaulted and almost knocked down proved problematic, the New York Times reports. Video footage showed the supermarket worker, Daniel Gill, patting Giuliani on the back, seriously undermining Giuliani’s claim that he had been almost knocked down, and weakening the credibility of his son, Andrew Giuliani, who had amplified his father’s accusation. Prosecutors downgraded the charges against Gill from second-degree assault, a felony, to third-degree assault, second-degree harassment and third-degree menacing. Gill spent more than 24 hours in police custody.
Giuliani continued to stand by his story. “If the video was lateral, you may have seen the force,” he said. “I was moved a few steps forward. I now have swelling above my left scapula and my left arm hurts.” The police department’s initial recommendation of felony assault charges was based on Giuliani’s complaint and the age difference between Gill, 39, and Giuliani, 78. On Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said prosecutors should turn their attention to Giuliani for falsely reporting a crime. In the two days since Giuliani made his claims, the former mayor has broadcast several times on Facebook Live. During one appearance, Giuliani denounced Adams as an “idiot.” “What if we didn’t have the video?” Adams asked Tuesday. “This person would have been accused with a serious crime, when all he did was pat the guy on the back. You can’t do sensationalism to carry out your own agenda, and you can’t use the police to carry out your own agenda.”