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I'm Done Answering Questions About Federal Probe, De Blasio Says

By Jeff Mays | April 11, 2016 6:15pm
 Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's done talking about the federal probe into his fundraising practices.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's done talking about the federal probe into his fundraising practices. "I'm not going to be speaking about this after today," de Blasio said Monday in The Bronx.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

SOUTH BRONX — Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's done talking about the federal probe into his fundraising practices.

"I'm not going to be speaking about this after today," de Blasio said Monday in The Bronx in response to a series of questions about a growing federal corruption probe that has ensnared high-ranking NYPD officials and raised questions about a nonprofit the mayor used to raise money to promote his political agenda.

The mayor said businessmen Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz, who are under investigation for giving high-ranking NYPD officers cash, gifts and international trips, did not receive any special favors for their role as contributors to de Blasio's mayoral campaign and to his nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York.

"I know of no favorable municipal action they got," de Blasio said.

Reichberg and Rechnitz were on de Blasio's inaugural committee. Rechnitz and his wife contributed $4,950 each to de Blasio's 2013 mayoral campaign. Reichberg raised $35,000 for the Campaign for One New York.

"I hold myself and my administration to the highest standard of integrity. I have been in public life for a long time. I am considered a reformer for a reason — I believe in making fundamental changes," the mayor said.

De Blasio repeated his assertion that he met the two men around the time of the general election and said he didn't know them beforehand.

"But they are two individuals I just don't know well," de Blasio said.

The mayor said that neither he nor his staff have been contacted by any federal agencies and that he has not retained or spoken with legal counsel.

"I have not done anything in terms of reaching out for counsel because there's no reason to reach out for counsel," the mayor said.

De Blasio also defended his use of the Campaign for One New York nonprofit to raise money for his political goal of universal pre-K. Many of the donors had business before the city. The nonprofit could also accept unlimited amounts of cash and is not required to disclose donors or what the money was used for, although the group did make some voluntary disclosures.

The Campaign for One New York and another nonprofit designed to push de Blasio's affordable housing plan, United for Affordable NYC, announced they would close last month after good-government and tenant groups questioned whether the organizations violated campaign finance laws.

"Here we have in the scheme of things very limited amounts of money, fully disclosed, for two purposes that are not exactly about reinforcing the power interest and the status quo; universal pre-K and affordable housing," de Blasio said.

"We felt from the beginning that when we were trying to achieve a progressive policy initiative, to have resources that would fight for this vision were important and were fair."

After both universal pre-K and his affordable housing zoning proposals passed, de Blasio said it made sense for both groups to close.

"The work is done," he said. "There's no reason for such an entity at this point."