NEW YORK, Oct. 27 (DPI) — Ruff Madoff, living in seclusion in Florida, emerged this week to grant a pre-60 Minutes teaser interview to The New York Times, and 181 reader comments nearly universally condemned her for her public appearance and comments.

Mrs. Madoff, who is appearing as part of a book promotion for her surviving son, told her interviewers that she and her husband “tried to commit suicide” shortly after Bernard Madoff’s $60 billion Ponzi Scheme was exposed in December 2008.

Readers also harshly criticized The Times itself for abetting a book promotion with Mrs. Madoff’s claims, which are unverifiable and treated as fact by the newspaper.

Readers too were somewhat vicious in their treatment of Mrs. Madoff: “You and your husband should have tried harder.” (#155)

The latest appearance by Mrs. Madoff looks to be part of a larger PR battle. Mrs. Madoff’s former daughter-in-law and Mark Madoff’s widow came out with a book promotion of her own just last week,  with details painting a picture of  a cheap, cruel and sarcastic Mrs. Madoff.

Reader sarcasm was rampant today as well.

“Here we go with the Madoff bleeding heart franchise. It matters little who’s right or not right ….All they care about is the MONEY……Direct ALL proceeds to the victims….. What next? ‘Keeping up with the Madoffs’ or ‘Bernie and Ruth + 51 billion’ or ‘the Real Life Robbers of New York County.’ ?

Regarding the noteless suicide attempt…..where’s Jack Kevorkian when you REALLY need him.?
I feel better now.” (#156)

“I’m sure the story isn’t right–they wouldn’t have committed suicide. That would be breaking the law.” (#86)

A few readers tried to defend Mrs. Madoff as an unfairly maligned victim, but most regard her as an un-indicted co-conspirator: ” She was his bookkeeper, for heaven’s sake! The dumbest bookkeeper in the world? Well, okay.” (#175)

And readers too leveled legitimate criticism at The Times: “The article begins: “On Christmas Eve 2008, two weeks after Bernard L. Madoff confessed to running history’s largest Ponzi scheme, he and his wife, Ruth, attempted suicide in their Manhattan penthouse.” Surely it is a basic law of the standard of journalism which befits the New York Times that a phrase such as “Ruth Madoff alleges” appears in that sentence” (#167).

Readers were virtually unanimous that Mrs. Madoff’s appearance was not simply inappropriate but a reflection of a profit motive, both by the Madoffs and the media. “Tell us more, Mrs. Madoff, do tell us more. Astonishing that an utterly unverifiable and irrelevant claim like “we tried to commit suicide” can be plastered in The New York Times, of all places. It should have been dismissed — and not published — for what it is: A cheap and cynical PR ploy.” (#99)