A report released by the United States Department of Investigation (DOI) alleged that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio misused resources of the New York Police Department (NYPD) for personal agendas.
The DOI report states that de Blasio used the resources to assist in his adult daughter moving out of Brooklyn and transport his campaign staff when he was running for president. The agency discovered that the lawmaker directed his Executive Protection Unit (EPU) members to assist his daughter, Chiara de Blasio's, move in 2018.
New York Mayor's Alleged Misuse of Resources
Personnel of the NYPD helped the mayor's daughter carry furniture and used a department sprinter van to bring her belongings to Gracie Mansion. The property was de Blasio's official residence and was located in Manhattan.
Detectives from the mayor's EPU also took the lawmaker's son, Dante de Blasio, to and from Yale University located in New Haven, Connecticut, on separate occasions. The travels were conducted without the presence of either the mayor or his wife and first lady, Chirlane McCray.
At the time, it became common practice for the EPU to drive Dante to multiple locations around New York City without being escorted by either of his parents. These were conducted under the direction of EPU superiors, Fox News reported.
Mayor de Blasio received widespread criticism after the DOI report, which showed that the Democratic lawmaker owes the city nearly $320,000 in taxpayer funds. The mayor allegedly used the money to fund the official's security detail that accompanied him to Iowa and South Carolina during his failed 2020 presidential run.
Additionally, the numbers put out by the DOI did not include money used for officer salaries or overtime. The DOI also found that neither de Blasio nor his presidential campaign has paid back the money they owed to the city.
Taken Out of Context
However, the mayor's office criticized the report, saying it was unprofessional and was conducted without interviewing the official who led the intelligence for New York. In a statement, de Blasio's spokesman argued that the DOI's report was inaccurate and was based on illogical assumptions and a naive view of the complex security challenges that elected officials faced in the modern era, Yahoo News reported.
Amid the criticisms, Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams expressed his support of de Blasio on Thursday regarding his alleged misuse of resources. The former NYPD captain expressed his support of the embattled mayor and his recent fight against scrutiny.
"If his children, if his wife - if there were credible threats, then he must do everything that's needed to ensure that they are safe. He signed up to run for mayor, they did not," Adams said, despite not yet reading the entirety of the 49-page report against de Blasio, the New York Post reported.
The mayoral nominee said that many people often do not understand or try to understand that while de Blasio is the New York mayor, he was also a father to his children. He said that as a husband and a father, he wanted to do everything to protect his family from threats.