Mayor de Blasio Repeatedly Ignored Warnings About Fundraising from People with Business Before the City

For years, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted that he acted properly when soliciting big-ticket donations for his now-defunct political non-profit. The Campaign for One New York was the subject of federal and state corruption investigations into its fundraising—though the mayor was never charged. However, a newly-uncovered report reveals that de Blasio repeatedly violated conflict of interest rules about asking for money from people with business before the city, despite warnings from aides and administration officials.

According to the news site The City, the Department of Investigation opened a probe into the mayor's fundraising efforts shortly after he closed it down in 2016, amid watchdog concerns  that the group was misusing funds and too closely linked to de Blasio's campaign. 

The results of the investigation were redacted, but a memo obtained by reporter Greg Smith reveals that the Campaign for One New York not only lacked a strong vetting process to weed out potential donors who had business before the city, but that the mayor ignored warnings from the Conflict of Interest Board and his own advisers about the subject. The memo also lays out the process by which de Blasio would solicit donations, including phone calls asking for "support," after which his aides would follow up with potential donors to ask for a specific dollar amount.

In a statement, a City Hall spokeswoman insisted that fundraising for the political non-profit "was thoroughly reviewed by multiple parties" and that "the Mayor acted lawfully and ethically."

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