King, Giuliani were together when told of plot

BY CAROL EISENBERG AND GLENN THRUSH | Newsday Washington Bureau

August 11, 2006

WASHINGTON - Rudy Giuliani just happened to be with Rep. Peter King Wednesday when the House homeland security chairman got his first indication of the Sept. 11-scale bombing plot in London.

"If I were writing a cheap novel, I couldn't even put this in; it would seem too contrived," said the Seaford Republican, author of a thriller about a New York terror attack. "I mean, here we are talking about 9/11, really reliving it ... and I get this call."

King and Giuliani bumped into each other Wednesday evening in the Westhampton vacation house of former city Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, a mutual friend.

At 7 p.m., a Department of Homeland Security staffer called to say Secretary Michael Chertoff would call "on a matter of some concern."

When Giuliani heard Chertoff's name, "he rolled his eyes," King told Newsday.

King isn't sure why Giuliani reacted that way.

When Chertoff called him at 9:45 p.m. with details, King was shocked. "Neither one of us were thinking it would be anything of this magnitude," he said, referring to himself and Giuliani.