Giuliani distances himself from firm

WASHINGTON —  GOP presidential contender Rudolph W. Giuliani announced Tuesday that he gave up his roles as chairman and chief executive of his consulting company earlier this year.

The disclosure came after recent stories about his consulting and law firms’ business with the government of Qatar, a gambling business in Macao and an Ethiopian faction opposing its government.

And it came as Vanity Fair published a story about his business dealings that questioned whether it was legal for him to be paid by the companies as he ran full time for president.

Giuliani still has an equity stake in the business he created in 2002 after leaving the New York mayor’s office -- a 30% share that he reported paid him $4.1 million last year.