When It’s Slushy It’s Easy To Slip

“Mayor de Blasio’s Campaign Fund-Raising Scrutinized in U.S. Corruption Inquiry”:

A wide-ranging federal corruption investigation centered on two businessmen with ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio is also examining some aspects of his campaign fund-raising, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

The investigation, which in recent days has garnered attention because the focus on the two businessmen led federal agents to interview roughly 20 senior New York Police Department officials, has for some time been examining the ways the businessmen wielded influence in New York City government, several people briefed on the matter said.

That examination has included an aggressive review of Mr. de Blasio’s campaign fund-raising, the person with knowledge of the matter said. The investigation’s focus on Mr. de Blasio’s fund-raising was reported on Friday night by WCBS-TV News.

It was unclear what specific aspect of the mayor’s fund-raising was under scrutiny and how it related to the conduct of the two businessmen.

The two businessmen under scrutiny are Jona Rechnitz and Jeremy Reichberg. Both served on a large committee that planned Mr. de Blasio’s inaugural celebration in 2014, and Mr. Rechnitz and his wife each contributed $4,950, the maximum amount allowed, to his 2013 campaign. Mr. Rechnitz also raised about $45,000 for him.

Or, “De Blasio’s lust for power will be his final downfall”:

[. . . A]ll the probers’ tips lead back to City Hall, and now the target is coming into clear view. It looks as if the mayor’s three slush funds, the ones that good-government groups blasted as a “shadow government,” have a bull’s-eye on them.

The multimillion-dollar operation is tied to every sleazy deal you’ve read about since de Blasio took office. It is the dirty doorway to all the other schemes and players.

The funds raised at least $4.36 million from developers, unions, taxi medallion owners, carriage-horse opponents and wealthy liberal activists like George Soros. In short, all those who wanted something big and valuable from de Blasio found their way to the back-room boiler operation and wrote a fat check.

The first of the groups was such a hit that the mayor created two more. All three nonprofits have an innocent-sounding name and, because they are incorporated separately from his official campaign, are not bound by the limits and disclosures required under the city’s campaign finance law. It’s a safe bet that avoiding those rules is why the groups were created.

If that pattern weren’t suspicious enough, an added element is that de Blasio has been moving huge amounts of money among the three entities, creating a virtual shell game that, temporarily at least, conceals the donors, how much they gave and how the money is being spent.

Ultimately, the issue is what, if any, favors the donors got in exchange for their cash. Were there illegal quid pro quos?