Bernard Kerik, New York’s Top Cop on 9/11, Dead at 69

Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on Sept. 11 and later pleaded guilty to federal corruption and tax crimes, died on Thursday at the age of 69.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Kerik’s death “after a private battle with illness,” and praised Kerik as “a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known.”

“With over forty years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history,” said Patel in his statement shared to social media. “Rest easy, Commissioner. Your watch has ended, but your impact will never fade.”

The New York Police Department also mourned Kerik’s death and looked back at his impact during the attacks on the World Trader Center: “For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11.”

Kerik and former New York City Mayor Rudy W. Giuliani were both hailed for their response to the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Kerik was later nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

In 2004, he was nominated by then-President George W. Bush to head the Department of Homeland Security. He withdrew one week later, stating that his employment of an undocumented immigrant as a babysitter and failure to pay payroll taxes as a reason for his withdrawal.

In 2008, Kerik pled guilty to eight felonies, including two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application, and five counts of making false statements to the federal government while being reviewed for senior positions, according to The New York Times. He spent three years in federal prison and was later pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020.