Pam Bondi said she is ‘heartbroken’ about the death of Bernard Kerik, a former NYPD commissioner who was hailed a 9/11 ‘hero’ before a dramatic fall from grace saw him jailed and then pardoned

Former Commissioner of the New York Police Department Bernard Kerik attends a remembrance ceremony on the 22nd anniversary of the terror attack on the World Trade Center, in New York City on September 11, 2023.
Former Commissioner of the New York Police Department Bernard Kerik died aged 69 on Thursday(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Attorney General Pam Bondi has shared her heartbreak as the MAGA world reels over the death of a former NYPD commissioner who was hailed a “hero” before a dramatic fall from grace.

Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, died on Thursday at the age of 69. FBI Director Kash Patel said that his death came after an unspecified “private battle with illness.”

Taking to X to pay tribute to Kerik, Bondi wrote: “Heartbroken about the loss of our dear friend Bernie Kerik. Prayers to Bernie’s family and many friends.” She shared an image alongside the post, showing her standing next to Kerik in a restaurant during a group photo. It comes as the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been accused of ‘plastic surgery’ on five areas of her face.

Kerik, an army veteran, was hailed a hero after the 9/11 attack and was nominated to head the US Department of Homeland Security. However, his reputation was tarnished after he ended up behind bars himself.

The ex-NYPD commissioner pleaded guilty in 2009 to tax fraud, making false statements and other charges. The charges stemmed partially from apartment renovations he received from a construction firm that authorities say wanted Kerik to convince New York officials had no links to organized crime.

He spent nearly four years in prison. During his sentencing, the judge noted that he committed some of the crimes while serving as “the chief law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has.” However, Kerik – who was a regular presence at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago and acted as an advisor to the president – was pardoned during Trump’s 2020 clemency blitz.

Kerik was one of the guests feting Trump after his first federal court appearance in Florida in a case related to his handling of classified documents. Kerik was also a good friend of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who appointed him to serve as police commissioner in 2000.

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrive for the funeral of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church on March 30, 2024
Kerik was a good friend of former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani(Image: Getty Images)

He was often by the mayor’s side in the period after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left,” Giuliani recalled in a statement following Kerik’s death.

“We’ve been together since the beginning. He’s like my brother,” Giuliani said through tears. “I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver and stronger man.”

Kerik had recently worked for Giuliani again, assisting in efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a former NYPD officer, said he’d visited Kerik, his ”friend of nearly 30 years,” at a hospital earlier in the day.