NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has been accused of ethics violations in a pay to play scheme involving Campaign for One New York (CONY), a pro-de Blasio nonprofit run by his former campaign officials.
The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics has announced they have reached a settlement with two lobbyists who violated ethics laws. The two were charged with violating the Lobbying Act. They have pleaded guilty and will pay a fine. Meanwhile, the recipient of that money, Mayor de Blasio has not been charged officially with ethics violations. Why?
Mayor de Blasio met with a lobbyist and nine of his clients at the City Hall Restaurant. The lobbyist and the nine clients had to make a total of $100,000 in donations to CONY before the meeting took place.
The commission accuses de Blasio and the head of CONY of asking for donations to CONY before getting access to the mayor.
Tammany Hall is alive and well in New York City.
In addition to Capalino, there are also accusations that de Blasio may have tried to get a second lobbyist to pay CONY for political favors. According to the commission’s report, de Blasio personally asked animal rights activists Steve Nislick and Wendy Neu to donate to CONY.
They gave a combined $50,000 to the nonprofit in 2014, and doubled that amount in 2015, but failed to register as lobbyists. At the time, Nislick and Neu, through their organization New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), were advocating for a bill that would have banned the use of horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
NJ.com reported that in June 2015, Nislick emailed de Blasio, angry that the bill banning carriage horses was not going to pass the City Council despite how much money he had invested in the issue.
Nislick wrote:
“Mayor, we just got off the phone with Marco who said they have not been to get [sic] any additional votes and he does not know if it is going to happen. I don’t get it!! To tell this now after we just spent 500k is totally ridiculous and puts us in an impossible situation. We are very very upset!! Steve.”
That email was obtained through an FOIA request.
De Blasio shows himself to be a dishonest politician because once he was bought, he didn’t stay bought like Hillary always did.