WILLIAMSBURG — Comedian Louis C.K. defended Mayor Bill de Blasio during a fundraiser at Brooklyn Bowl Thursday night, amid the background of multiple federal and state probes into the mayor's fundraising activities.
"Some people are beating on him but if you are not on the cover of the New York Post with some s--t next to you, you're not doing your job," the comedian said.
Louis C.K. didn't directly reference the probes, but said de Blasio had important accomplishments such as bringing universal pre-K and after-school programs for middle school kids to the city.
The mayor also stood up to police and took on stop-and-frisk, saying "'Listen, if you take down the stop-and-frisk, the crime will go down,’ and they were just like, ‘No.’ But it’s exactly what happened."
"It takes a lot of f---ing guts to be this guy. To be a goofy mayor, by the way, not that cool, tough mayor, but to be the goofball mayor. And stand up to the police," he added.
The comic noted that New York is a "city that you come to because your life is s--t where you came from."
"The thing I love about New York is that it's an equalizing city, because I came here and I was dirt s--t poor, and now I'm dirt s--t rich," he said. "Life is the same. It doesn't get that much better."
De Blasio campaign officials said the fundraiser, which had slow ticket sales, was attended by more than 600 people and would raise $500,000 after matching funds were counted.
One attendee told DNAinfo New York that the crowd seemed a little "light," but others noted attendance picked up towards the end of the event.
In addition to a federal investigation into whether donors to the Campaign for One New York, the mayor's nonprofit designed to advance his policy agenda, received favors in exchange for their donation, authorities are also examining whether de Blasio's unsuccessful bid to bring the state Senate under Democratic control in 2014 violated campaign finance and election laws.
The mayor has denied any wrongdoing and said he's being held to a double-standard in some of the investigations.
De Blasio indirectly addressed the multiple probes he's facing, saying there are powerful interests who don't want him to carry out his efforts to address issues such as income inequality.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his son, Dante, arrive at the Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on May 12, 2016 before a fundraiser for the mayor's re-election campaign. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
"We were not intimidated by the powerful forces out there who opposed our vision. There were billionaire hedge fund managers who didn't want to see any change in this city," de Blasio said of his successful 2013 campaign for mayor.
"There are billionaire media owners who don't want to see change in this city. Who want to distract us, who want to lull us to sleep, who want to keep us from making the changes this city needs. We can't afford to be discouraged because there's so much we have to do."
And Louis C.K. had an interesting argument about why de Blasio should have a second term.
"He's been with us for a few years, give him another few years. Give him a few years. He's not going to fix everything. Nobody really changes this city," he said.
