Bernie Kerik's legal defense fundraiser: "Like an extended Giuliani campaign commercial."

TPM:

Last week, the Bernie Kerik Legal Defense Trust held a $75-a-plate-minimum beefsteak dinner in honor of the man himself.

First, a quick reminder of why the former New York City Police Commissioner needs the money:

Kerik became mired in muck in late 2004 after President Bush unsuccessfully nominated him to be Homeland Security Secretary. The national scrutiny helped to result in a 16-count indictment filed late last year, for charges that included lying to White House officials during the nomination process, accepting mob-tied money for renovations to his apartment, and tax fraud. Last Friday, federal prosecutors accused him of having embarked on a "crime spree." His trial begins in January.

The beefsteak dinner fundraiser, which attracted 200 people to Kerik's hometown of Paterson, NJ, was detailed by The New Yorker, which described "thick-necked" men tucking into their steaks. The program celebrated both Kerik's Jersey roots and his now infamous New York career. It culminated in a fifteen minute long "soundtrack of strings and bagpipes...as a video of still images from the World Trade Center site played--like an extended Giuliani campaign commercial."