One day after two men who were members of Bill de Blasio’s inaugural committee were named in an FBI probe involving high ranking members of the NYPD, the mayor has distanced himself from the pair, saying they have not donated to his re-election campaign and he will not accept donations from either of the two as long as the investigation is ongoing.
As previously reported on TOT News, an FBI wiretap on a separate issue sparked a probe into a possible scandal with money and gifts being exchanged by Brooklyn businessman Jeremy Reichberg and Upper West Side real estate developer Jona Rechnitz in return for favors from members of the NYPD.
Reichberg, an NYPD chaplain who hosted de Blasio at a dinner in his home in May 2014, was suspended last night from his post as chaplain for the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.
Speaking during an appearance at P.S. 123 in Bushwick this morning, de Blasio said he had never accepted any gifts from Reichberg or Rechnitz other than campaign donations as reported by Capital new York.
The mayor noted that he first met both men in 2013 and said that it was too early to say if he would return previous campaign donations from either of the two.
“An investigation means something is being looked at,” said de Blasio. “Until we get a result, we cannot make final judgments. So, in terms of any past donations,
I will make that determination when I see the results of the investigation.”
