New York – With several donors to his 2013 mayoral campaign currently being investigated, Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken yet another step to distance himself from any possible wrongdoing, offering the services of one of his lawyers to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
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As previously reported on VIN News, Bharara’s office has been investigating corruption in New York, at both the city and state levels and has been looking into any possible involvement by de Blasio or City Hall in several incidents that have come under scrutiny.
The mayor has told the media on more than one occasion that he has not been contacted by Bharara but he authorized attorney Barry Berke of the Kramer Levin law firm which represented his 2013 campaign, to offer his help to the U.S. Attorney’s office in its ongoing investigation, as reported by The Daily News.
Bharara has yet to take the mayor up on his offer.
“To this hour, we still have not heard from any federal agency,” said de Blasio. “There’s been no outreach of any kind. He reached out at my request and simply said we’d like to be helpful in any way we can, happy to provide any information that would be helpful.”
Trying to put a positive spin on recent events, de Blasio noted that while there are those who may have engaged in questionable behavior, his office continues to maintain the highest standards of integrity and that despite the current probes, ethical standards in the city far surpass those of previous years.
“This city used to be a cesspool,” said de Blasio. “There was all sorts of corruption and there weren’t enough checks and balances. Over the years, New York City has really done a great job of putting serious checks and balances, serious investigatory mechanisms in place.”
Why would the U.S. Attorney need the help of one de Blasio’s flunky lawyers? Is it Bharara’s first day on the job?
I think his lawyer maybe best served using his time to prepare an adequate defence for Comrad Deblazzio!