Mayor calls campaign finance cheating reports ‘outrageous’
In his strongest language yet, Mayor Bill de Blasio defended himself against the whirlwind of controversy that has engulfed his administration, telling reporters at an event in Bay Ridge on Monday that reports of possible illegal campaign fundraising activities on his part are “outrageous.”
The mayor, who held a press conference outside a private house at 103 79th St. to announce a $183 credit that 664,000 New York City homeowners will find on their water bills this summer, answered questions on the escalating reports that he and some of his aides may have flouted campaign finance laws to funnel money to Democratic candidates running for seats in the state Senate in 2014.
The controversy centers on whether de Blasio and his aides circumvented campaign donation limits in raising money for Democratic candidates. In 2014, de Blasio was eager to help the Democrats try to wrest control of the state Senate from Republicans, according to multiple news reports.
