The other shoe drops: More de Blasio subpoenas

NEW YORK, NY - The Senator who earlier this month called Mayor Bill de Blasio's fundraising apparatus part of a "statewide corruption scheme" reacted to news today over a fresh round of subpoenas issued to another upstate Democratic county committee. State Senator Terrence Murphy is now asking if Mayor de Blasio himself has been subpoenaed in any of the ongoing criminal investigations.

"There is no one more independent than the United States Attorney who is acting on another independent report that Mayor de Blasio helped steer vast sums of cash from donors with pending city business with specific instructions to evade election law," Senator Murphy said. "Mayor de Blasio is at the center of all this and it is time to start asking if he has been personally served with a subpoena. Perhaps that is why he is no longer speaking to the press or reporters."

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported today that the Monroe Democratic County Committee was subpoenaed by the Manhattan DA today over allegations mirroring what transpired in Putnam County in 2014, which are now at the center of various criminal inquiries. In Putnam County, an independent investigation by the state board of elections enforcement counsel which found "willful and flagrant" violations of the election law that were referred for "criminal prosecution" to the Manhattan District Attorney.

In addition to running an end around campaign contribution limits with money from pay-to-play donors, the coordinated effort led to the hiring of Mayor de Blasio's favored campaign consultants - several of whom were also employed by his nonprofits - who the Mayor now claims are "agents of the city" and not subject to Freedom of Information Law requests regarding their activities. These same political consultants, at least five of whom are already under subpoena in this investigation, also represent private interests with business before the city as lobbyists.

"All the facts we have thus far indicate that the illicit donations were made to the county committees and earmarked for specific candidates in order to circumvent the contribution limits," Senator Murphy said. "Mayor de Blasio has no-one to blame but himself for all of the negative headlines, the perception of conflicts of interest and the inappropriate money laundering that took place in his failed bid to buy the New York State Senate."