New York – U.S. prosecutors on Thursday said they will not bring criminal charges against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after their lengthy investigation into whether people involved in fundraising for his election campaign broke corruption laws.
Below is the full statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim On The Investigation Into City Hall Fundraising:
“In response to allegations of misconduct, this Office, along with the FBI, has been investigating fundraising by and on behalf of Mayor Bill de Blasio for his 2013 election campaign, the Campaign for One New York, and the 2014 State Senate effort.
We have conducted a thorough investigation into several circumstances in which Mayor de Blasio and others acting on his behalf solicited donations from individuals who sought official favors from the City, after which the Mayor made or directed inquiries to relevant City agencies on behalf of those donors.
In considering whether to charge individuals with serious public corruption crimes, we take into account, among other things, the high burden of proof, the clarity of existing law, any recent changes in the law, and the particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit.
After careful deliberation, given the totality of the circumstances here and absent additional evidence, we do not intend to bring federal criminal charges against the Mayor or those acting on his behalf relating to the fundraising efforts in question.
Although it is rare that we issue a public statement about the status of an investigation, we believe it appropriate in this case at this time, in order not to unduly influence the upcoming campaign and Mayoral election.”
Mayor de Blasio has been cleared of wrongdoing related to his campaign fundraising practices, the acting US attorney announced Thursday.
“After careful deliberation, given the totality of the circumstances here and absent additional evidence, we do not intend to bring federal criminal charges against the Mayor or those acting on his behalf relating to the fundraising efforts in question,” acting US attorney Joon Kim said in a statement.
Veteran political consultant George Arzt said the decision means de Blasio is the odds-on favorite to win a second term.
“All his rivals were waiting for something to happen — and nothing happened. At this point, it looks like he has clear sailing toward a second term,” he told The Post.
Hizzoner had been under investigation by ousted US Attorney Preet Bharara over fundraising “pay-to-play” suspicions.
Last month, he spent four hours meeting with Bharara’s prosecutors and the FBI.
News about the investigations first trickled out in April, when The Post reported two mayoral donors sought favors from cops in exchange for foreign trips and gifts.
The probes have since ballooned to include other donors with business before the city.
“We have conducted a thorough investigation into several circumstances in which Mayor de Blasio and others acting on his behalf solicited donations from individuals who sought official favors from the City, after which the Mayor made or directed inquiries to relevant City agencies on behalf of those donors,” Mim said in his statement.
“In considering whether to charge individuals with serious public corruption crimes, we take into account, among other things, the high burden of proof, the clarity of existing law, any recent changes in the law, and the particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit.”
He noted that although it’s rare to issue a public statement about the status of a probe, “we believe it appropriate in this case at this time, in order not to unduly influence the upcoming campaign and Mayoral election.”