Mayor de Blasio Blames ‘Double Standard' in Fundraising Investigations

Mayor de Blasio again denied criminal wrongdoing in his campain's fundraising activities weren't illegal and said that he thought he was being singled out in a series of investigations by people and organizations that don't agree with his policies.

The mayor appeared on Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning Monday and reiterated that his fundraising practices were commonly used by other politicians in the state and that he was unfairly targeted.

"I think there’s a double standard is, why is it okay for some people to play by the existing laws and rules, including my predecessors as mayor, but when we do it, it comes under this kind of attack. I think there’s a real concern there, there’s a double standard being held,” he said.

Last week de Blasio told WNYC's Brian Lehrer that he would "absolutely" run for a second term and that the widening corruption probe wouldn't affect his decision to seek re-election in 2017. 

Several of his aides and political groups have been subpoenaed by prosecutors, de Blasio hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.

The probe began after a criminal referral from the lead investigator at the state Board of Elections.

De Blasio has accused the board of conducting a politically motivated witch hunt.

The investigator was appointed by Gov. Cuomo, a frequent de Blasio rival. On Friday, Cuomo's upstate economic development initiatives became the target of a separate federal investigation. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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