Rudy says Trump fulfilled 'whatever loyalty that entails' by offering him two jobs – but that he turned them down 'largely because of my personal life' 

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Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he turned down two cabinet posts in the incoming Trump administration, not because of potential landmines in his business career but because of his 'personal life.'

Giuliani appeared on CNN's 'New Day' to discuss Trump's pick for secretary of state, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, as well as his own situation.

Giuliani confirmed that he was not offered the secretary of state post, which he was widely seen as publicly campaigning to get. Trump officials had said he was in the running for the job.

'It was not, right,' Giuliani said, confirming the post wasn't offered to him.

'But two very high positions, cabinet level positions, which he offered me and, as far as I'm concerned, [Trump] fulfilled whatever loyalty that entails. I mean, it was my own decision not to do it, largely because of my personal life,' he said.

Giuliani said it was his own decision not to join the Trump administration, something he credited to his 'personal life'

He was reportedly under consideration to head the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department. 

Host Chris Cuomo pressed Giuliani – who campaigned tirelessly for Trump and even took flak for him on TV after the emergence of the infamous 'p****' tape where Trump got caught on a hot mic talking about grabbing women – about whether he was owed a position due to 'loyalty.'

'You’ve got to choose. Running and governing are two different things. And a lot of people are very good for running. A lot of people are very good for governing. And he made, I think, some very, very good choices.'

'And in my particular case, as he's publicly stated, so I don’t feel uncomfortable stating it, he offered me two very high positions in government, which I turned down because I didn't want to do it.

Giuliani didn't say which positions, 'because the other person becomes the second choice, but they were two very high positions in government, in the cabinet.'

Giuliani was grilled by host Chris Cuomo on CNN about whether he should have been rewarded with a job due to 'loyalty' to Donald Trump

Giuliani said Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson would do a 'good job' running the State Department, but it was 'hard to say' which of them would have been better

He was reportedly considered for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department. 

'He had enough good people to choose from, I wasn't necessary. If I thought I was necessary, I would have stayed in,' he explained.

He said he was 'totally comfortable' with being out. 

'It would have been a big sacrifice to do it. So I had to make a choice early on in the game. I didn't want to be in the big sort of selection panel for two or three weeks.'

Giuliani said it wasn't his business practices that torpedoed his chances. There were multiple reports as he was being considered for the State job about his lucrative consulting career after leaving office, including doing business in Qatar and Venezuela.

'I put myself through the vetting process before I dropped out because I wanted to make sure there was no question about that. I had them examine all of my contracts, all of my tax returns to make sure there was no single issue,' he said.

Giuliani during the campaign defended Trump's refusal to release his own tax returns and hailed him when it was revealed he may have avoided paying taxes for nearly two decades.

'The man's a genius, he knows how to operate the tax code,' Giuliani told CNN in October. 

Giuliani denied the suggestion that he was a 'lobbyist' or tried to help 'bad guys' when pressed.

'Here's what I do. I do security consulting. I do cyber security consulting. I come in and I take a look at your cyber system, see if it works. I do police consulting. I do urban development consulting. That's the kind of work that I do. I don't do relationships with governments and representing governments before an agency,' he said.

Giuliani wouldn't say Rex Tillerson was better than him for the State Department, but did praise the nominee. 'I'm okay with the choice,' he said.

'I’m saying I'm not necessary. He'll do a good job. It's hard to say who would be better as secretary of state. You find that out three or four years from now,' he said.

Giuliani is married to Judith Giuliani and has two adult children as well as a stepdaughter. He received treatment for prostate cancer after being diagnosed in 2000.