Shortly after he finished his term as New York City mayor, Rudolph Giuliani started his own firm, Giuliani Partners. His first client: Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Connecticut.

The United States government had brought criminal charges against the opioid manufacturer for fraudulently promoting OxyContin as safe and hard-to-abuse. Purdue ultimately accepted a plea deal, but Giuliani was able to win two major concessions that would ensure that Purdue Pharma was able to keep its products on the market and plentiful. 

Chris McGreal is a writer for the Guardian and author of the book AMERICAN OVERDOSE The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts. He spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake.