Earlier today we noted that in a radio interview Rudy had tried to walk back his comments about the recovery workers, calling them "heroes" and suggesting that he "emphathized" with them.

Now the International Association of Fire Fighters has issued another statement hitting Rudy scorchingly hard over his attempted walkback. Key quote:

"Giuliani has succeeded in becoming a multi-millionaire on the backs of those who perished that day -- going from a guy who reported that he only had $7,000 to his name in his 2001 divorce filings, to a multi-millionaire --- and it's despicable."

Full statement after the jump.

Statement by IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger:

"Rudy Giuliani didn't misspeak -- he was showing his true character as a self absorbed, arrogant and deluded self-promoter who got caught and is now trying to backtrack.

"Giuliani now says he cares deeply about those who were on the pile and are now sick, but he hasn't lifted a single finger to help them in anyway. While over 1,000 fire fighters are on disability from the health effects of being on that pile, the former mayor hasn't done a thing to help get them better benefits. In fact, the former mayor has actually attempted to distance himself from any blame for his own failure to enforce any rules on wearing respirators on the pile, which could have helped protect some of these workers who are now sick.

"Giuliani can't change the fact that as soon as those planes hit the towers, he was working to profit from 9-11. He was running around the streets, in front of the media cameras, instead of sitting in a controlled environment making controlled decisions -- which is where a real leader would have been.

"And Giuliani has succeeded in becoming a multi millionaire on the backs of those who perished that day -- going from a guy who reported that he only had $7,000 to his name in his 2001 divorce filings, to a multi-millionaire --- and it's despicable.

"It's not just our union, FDNY fire fighters and family members calling him on his 9-11 lies, now the police are, iron workers who were on that pile are -- everyone is calling him on his lies.

"Giuliani's defense of his failures has always been to call our union names, but the former mayor's name-calling doesn't change the fact that Giuliani didn't remove a single piece of debris. He didn't save a single person. He didn't recover a single body or body part.

"What Giuliani did do is Giuliani did, however, fail to give the fire fighters radios that could have saved 121 of them. That's Giuliani's try 9-11 legacy, and the world needs to know the truth instead of the lies Giuliani likes to spread."