Latest news with #DeBlasio
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio to pay $330,000 over use of NYPD detail during 2020 presidential run
NEW YORK — Former Mayor Bill de Blasio will pay $330,000 in restitution and fines for violating city rules by using his NYPD detail during his long-shot 2020 presidential bid — the largest settlement in the history of New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board. The settlement, the first time the board has brought an enforcement action against a mayor, marks an end to the three-year legal saga centering on de Blasio's move to have his NYPD detail accompany him on 31 out-of-state trips during his failed 2020 presidential campaign. In Wednesday's agreement, the ex-mayor admitted to taking the security detail along with him despite prior warning from the board. 'In contradiction of the written guidance I received from the board, I did not reimburse the city for these expenses,' de Blasio wrote in the agreement. De Blasio has already paid $100,000 of the settlement, and has agreed to cover the rest in quarterly installments over the next four years, according to the settlement agreement. If he defaults on a payment, his total amount owed is upped to a whooping $475,000. 'Today I settled an outstanding case with the NYC COIB,' de Blasio said in a social media post. 'I acknowledge that I made a mistake, and I deeply regret it. Now it's time to move forward.' Reached over the phone, de Blasio declined to elaborate: 'That's all I have to say.' The historic settlement comes even though de Blasio for years maintained he had done nothing wrong. The ex-mayor also sued the board in 2023, seeking to overturn the the city ethics watchdog's order. That lawsuit was unsuccessful, with a Manhattan Supreme Court justice rejecting it this year and ruling that de Blasio was on the hook to repay the full amount. De Blasio and his attorney Andrew Celli argued after the fine was first imposed in 2023 that the board's decision was 'perilous' and set a standard under which the security of sitting mayors could be at risk. 'Every mayor faces threats, and all mayors are entitled to protection,' Celli said at the time. Queens City Councilman Robert Holden, a centrist Democrat and frequent de Blasio critic, lauded the settlement announcement. 'While the city hasn't yet been made whole, this settlement ends years of litigation and requires de Blasio to begin paying back nearly $330,000 in taxpayer funds,' Holden said. 'His arrogance and misuse of public resources caused lasting damage to this city — but at long last, justice is catching up.' _____
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio to pay $330K over use of NYPD detail during 2020 presidential run
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio will pay $330,000 in restitution and fines for violating city rules by using his NYPD detail during his long-shot 2020 presidential bid — the largest settlement in the history of New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board. The settlement, the first time the board has brought an enforcement action against a mayor, marks an end to the three-year legal saga centering on de Blasio's move to have his NYPD detail accompany him on 31 out-of-state trips during his failed 2020 presidential campaign. In Wednesday's agreement, the ex-mayor admitted to taking the security detail along with him despite prior warning from the board. 'In contradiction of the written guidance I received from the Board, I did not reimburse the City for these expenses,' de Blasio wrote in the agreement. De Blasio has already paid $100,000 of the settlement, and has agreed to cover the rest in quarterly installments over the next four years, according to the settlement agreement. If he defaults a payment, his total amount owed is upped to a whooping $475,000. 'Today I settled an outstanding case with the NYC COIB,' de Blasio said in a social media post. 'I acknowledge that I made a mistake, and I deeply regret it. Now it's time to move forward.' Reached over the phone, de Blasio declined to elaborate: 'That's all I have to say.' The historic settlement comes even though de Blasio for years maintained he had done nothing wrong. The ex-mayor also sued the board in 2023, seeking to overturn the the city ethics watchdog's order. That lawsuit was unsuccessful, with a Manhattan Supreme Court judge rejecting it earlier this year and ruling de Blasio was on the hook to repay the full amount. De Blasio and his attorney, Andrew Celli, argued after the fine was first imposed in 2023 that the board's decision was 'perilous' and set a standard under which the security of sitting mayors could be at risk. 'Every mayor faces threats, and all mayors are entitled to protection,' Celli said at the time. Queens Councilman Bob Holden, a centrist Democrat and frequent de Blasio critic, lauded the settlement announcement. 'While the city hasn't yet been made whole, this settlement ends years of litigation and requires de Blasio to begin paying back nearly $330,000 in taxpayer funds,' Holden said. 'His arrogance and misuse of public resources caused lasting damage to this city—but at long last, justice is catching up.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill de Blasio on what's next for the Democratic Party
(NewsNation) — Former Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio joined 'NewsNation Prime' to discuss the future of the Democratic Party and its failings in 2024, including shifting its focus from elites and kitchen table items. De Blasio, who has received fierce criticism from President Trump this week, believes the Democrats blew the presidential election on multiple fronts. 'It's not just get away from the elites and get back to the grassroots and the heartland, it's talk about those table kitchen issues that, bluntly, we failed to talk about well enough in 2024,' de Blasio added. Trump in 'excellent health,' doctor says after annual exam The former New York City mayor favors a pool of possible figureheads for the 2028 presidential election, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. 'We've got an extraordinary Democratic bench, very heavy on governors [and] I love that,' de Blasio said. 'We've got exciting representatives of a new generation of leadership, and I think let them go and compete,' he added. De Blasio also commended the work of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in their rallies across America. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
De Blasio: ‘Unclear' message hurt Democrats in 2024
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Thursday that Democrats lacked a clear message during the 2024 campaign cycle, leading in part to their defeat in the race for the White House. In an interview on Fox News Channel's 'America's Newsroom,' the progressive pushed back on the suggestion that the Democratic Party's embrace of liberal policy positions lost them the election. 'I think what happened is the Democratic Party lost touch with some of the things that … the progressive movement was saying that people cared about,' de Blasio said when asked 'how badly' he thinks Democrats 'misread the American electorate' in 2024. De Blasio said progressives were 'strong' on issues that mattered to voters like health care, affordable college and raising the minimum wage. 'Unfortunately, in 2024, we didn't have that message bluntly,' he continued. 'I think our message was unclear. And that's part of why we lost the election.' Another key factor that de Blasio said lost Democrats the election was the party's inability to come to terms with former President Biden's chances leading the ticket. 'I think we could have won that election if Joe Biden, obviously, had moved aside earlier, if Kamala Harris had said she was going to take us in a different direction, but not just continue what Joe Biden was doing, I think we could have won that election,' he said. 'So, my message to the Democratic Party is, let's get back to our roots, talk about working people, not sound like the elite, not focus on our donors, focus on working people and we can actually move forward again,' he continued. De Blasio said he thinks he and other Democrats 'wanted to believe' that Biden was up to the job mentally but 'we were wrong, and we should have been more critical.' 'I don't think I was lied to. I think we — it was magical thinking. We wanted to believe what we wanted to believe,' de Blasio said, about whether he thinks he was lied to. 'I'm sure not everyone will agree — I think he did some very good things as president.' 'But it was clear that he was not the same person towards the end of his term,' he added. De Blasio said he thinks 'it hurt a lot' that Democrats continued to say Biden would have no issue serving as president for the next four years, saying, 'I think a lot of people felt betrayed.' 'All of us need to accept some responsibility,' de Blasio said. 'Because he did, in my view, he governed well on many levels, but he was not ready to continue for four more years.' 'We should have just come to grips with that. I think if we had had an open process, if it was not, 'here's an anointed candidate,' we actually had a process, we would have had a stronger candidacy,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
De Blasio: ‘Unclear' message hurt Democrats in 2024
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Thursday that Democrats lacked a clear message during the 2024 campaign cycle, leading in part to their defeat in the race for the White House. In an interview on Fox News Channel's 'America's Newsroom,' the progressive pushed back on the suggestion that the Democratic Party's embrace of liberal policy positions lost them the election. 'I think what happened is the Democratic Party lost touch with some of the things that… the progressive movement was saying that people cared about,' de Blasio said, when asked 'how badly' he thinks Democrats 'misread the American electorate' in 2024. De Blasio said progressives were 'strong' on issues that mattered to voters like healthcare, affordable college and raising the minimum wage. 'Unfortunately, in 2024, we didn't have that message bluntly,' he continued. 'I think our message was unclear. And that's part of why we lost the election.' Another key factor that de Blasio said lost Democrats the election was the party's inability to come to terms with President Biden's chances leading the ticket. 'I think we could have won that election if Joe Biden, obviously, had moved aside earlier, if Kamala Harris had said she was going to take us in a different direction, but not just continue what Joe Biden was doing, I think we could have won that election,' he said. 'So, my message to the Democratic Party is, let's get back to our roots, talk about working people, not sound like the elite, not focus on our donors, focus on working people and we can actually move forward again,' he continued. De Blasio said he thinks he and other Democrats 'wanted to believe' that Biden was up to the job mentally but 'we were wrong, and we should have been more critical.' 'I don't think I was lied to. I think we – it was magical thinking. We wanted to believe what we wanted to believe,' de Blasio said, about whether he thinks he was lied to. 'I'm sure not everyone will agree – I think he did some very good things as president.' 'But it was clear that he was not the same person towards the end of his term,' he added. De Blasio said he thinks 'it hurt a lot' that Democrats continued to say Biden would have no issue serving as president for the next four years, saying, 'I think a lot of people felt betrayed.' 'All of us need to accept some responsibility,' de Blasio said. 'Because he did, in my view, he governed well on many levels, but he was not ready to continue for four more years.' 'We should have just come to grips with that. I think if we had had an open process, if it was not, here's an anointed candidate, we actually had a process, we would have had a stronger candidacy,' he added.
