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Mayor Bill de Blasio abused public resources for political and personal gain, including deploying his security services for personal trips like his daughter’s move to Gracie Mansion, and failed to reimburse the city for the costs of security of his presidential campaign, according to a city survey released on Thursday.
The city spent nearly $ 320,000 for members of Mr. de Blasio’s security service to travel on his presidential campaign trips in 2019 – funds that were not repaid personally or through his campaign. , according to the city’s 47-page investigation department report. .
The report stated that the use of a police and personnel van to help move Mr. de Blasio’s daughter was “a misuse of NYPD resources for personal gain,” and that Detective Howard Redmond police in charge of the security of the family, had “actively obstructed and sought to thwart this investigation. “
At a press conference, Margaret Garnett, the commissioner of the Investigations Department, said investigators discovered Mr Redmond attempted to destroy his cell phone after he was told to return it and he had deleted communications. She said she was referring the case to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The report does not say that no laws were broken. But the findings still come at an inopportune time for Mr de Blasio, a Democrat with three months in office who is actively considering running for governor. He was the subject of several investigations into his fundraising practices during his eight years as mayor, and prosecutors in 2017 raised concerns about them, but ultimately decided not to engage. of criminal proceedings.
Mr de Blasio’s office criticized the report on Thursday, arguing that “civilian investigators” should not decide how to ensure the safety of the mayor and his family.
“This unprofessional report purports to do the NYPD’s job for them, but without any relevant expertise – and without even interviewing the official who runs the city’s intelligence,” his office said in a statement. “As a result, we are left with an inaccurate report, based on illegitimate assumptions and a naïve view of the complex security challenges facing elected officials today. “
The report also examined Mr de Blasio’s use of his security details during his failed presidential campaign in 2019. The city paid for flights, hotels, meals and rental cars for members. of its details as Mr. de Blasio visited states like Iowa and South Carolina. at a cost of nearly $ 320,000. This figure does not include agents’ wages or overtime.
M. de Blasio had no impact in the presidential race and gave up after a few months.
The report also cited several occasions where the mayor’s contact details were used to pick up his brother from the airport and lead him to pick up a Zipcar in Palmyra, New Jersey. without the presence of the mayor.
When asked if Mr de Blasio uses his security information as “glorified Uber drivers,” Ms Garnett said there was a culture that treated officers as if they were town hall employees and a “concierge service”.
The report made recommendations to prevent the misuse of the mayor’s security details in the future, including asking the Conflict of Interest Council to publicly publish advice to elected officials on the use of city resources. in the context of political activities.
City officials acknowledged in 2019 that the New York Police Department’s Executive Protection Unit responsible for guarding Mr. de Blasio and his family had helped his daughter, Chiara, move her belongings from a Brooklyn apartment. at Gracie Mansion. They used a city police van to move some of her personal items, including a rolled up futon mattress.
Mr de Blasio has also been criticized for using his security information to drive his son, Dante, between New York and Yale University in Connecticut. The report says a detective remembers driving Dante de Blasio to or from Yale “about seven or eight times without the mayor or the first lady being present.”
The mayor’s son continued to use security details when he returned to New York. The report revealed that starting around January 2020, he started being driven by police every weekday morning from Gracie Mansion to his job in Brooklyn. The mayor “denied knowing about this arrangement,” according to the report.
The town hall defended the movements at the time, claiming that Mr de Blasio and his family followed ethical rules and that his children enjoyed police protection like the children of previous mayors.
On Thursday, Mr de Blasio’s office said his immediate family “always had the right to itemize, so all uses are appropriate” and argued that Mr de Blasio and his family received threats on a regular basis, pointing the finger at a message posted on Twitter last year by Ed Mullins. , the former police union leader who is under investigation, regarding the personal information of Chiara de Blasio.
As for the security costs of his presidential campaign, the mayor’s office said the city has appealed a decision by the Conflict of Interest Council that it should pay them and that “no final decision has been made. socket”.
The report criticized the police department for failing to follow “formal processes or procedures” or creating formal records regarding the eligibility of the mayor’s two children for protection of security details. The report noted that Dante de Blasio “hasn’t had any detail assigned since about August 2015,” but often received protection.
The report also found that for about a year, the mayor’s details were performing security checks at homes owned by Mr de Blasio in Brooklyn – a practice investigators focused on because the mayor does not live there. currently and because a house is in use. as an investment property with paying tenants. A sergeant told investigators the practice began during protests last year after the homes of elected officials were vandalized.
The city’s investigation department had previously discovered in a confidential and heavily drafted report that Mr. de Blasio had solicited contributions from people who had unfinished business with the city, an apparent violation of the ethics law of the city. city charter.
The department is investigating the city government, including the executive branch. Mr de Blasio appointed his commissioner, Ms Garnett, a former federal prosecutor, in 2018, and the city council confirmed her. Mr. de Blasio had fired his predecessor, Mark G. Peters, after producing a series of investigative reports which embarrassed Mr. de Blasio.
Katie Glueck contributed reporting.
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