Mayor de Blasio insisted he’s never received gifts from the deep-pocketed businessmen suspected of giving lavish presents to high-ranking NYPD members in exchange for favors.
“No, no gifts,” de Blasio said at a Wednesday press conference.
Hizzoner said he met Jona Rechnitz, an Upper West Side real estate investor, and Jeremy Reichberg, a Borough Park leader, in 2013.
“Neither of them have contributed to my re-election campaign,” de Blasio said. “While this investigation is going on we will of course not accept any donations.”
“Like with any American citizen, they have a right to the whole process, so there’s due process, there’s an investigation going on, we’ll see what that investigation yields,” he continued. “But I have no intention of accepting any donations from them while there’s an investigation underway.”
When asked about prior donations and the FBI’s corruption investigation into the NYPD, de Blasio said the department is “fully cooperating.”
“But again, an investigation means something’s being looked at,” he said. “Until we get a result we can’t make final judgments. So, in terms of any past donations I will make that determination when we see the results of the investigation.”
The feds are currently probing whether high-ranking members of the NYPD have taken expensive gifts, including Super Bowl tickets and trips to China and London, in exchange for favors, like security for private cash and jewelry deliveries.
The mayor said he has not spoken to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton about the investigation, but will meet with him later in the week.
“But again, obviously as he said publicly, there’s going to be full cooperation with them,” de Blasio said.
http://nypost.com/2016/04/06/de-blasio-swears-he-never-took-gifts-from-shady-businessmen/
“No, no gifts,” de Blasio said at a Wednesday press conference.”
Mammon doesn’t count as a gift.
“I told her to stop!”