Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mind “exploded” when a reporter compared him to President Donald Trump at a Bronx press conference Tuesday.
De Blasio was ducking media questions about a Department of Investigation report that found he’d solicited people with business pending before city agencies to donate to his now-shuttered nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York.
“Every investigation was closed. No further action was taken. The entity is defunct,” he said at a press conference about health care.
The DOI referred the matter to the city’s Conflict of Interest Board last year. Asked if the board issued him a private letter of reprimand, de Blasio refused to come clean.
“We’ve covered this,” he said.
But when another reporter, Robert Press of the Bronx Chronicle, tried to draw a parallel to President Trump being cleared of allegations of collusion, the mayor balked.
“Based on those previous questions as the Mueller investigation proved nothing right now, it came out blank, do you think the president has been vindicated?” Press asked.
“No of course he’s not vindicated,” de Blasio shot back.
When Press noted the similarity, saying, “Based on what you said about the Conflict of Interest Board, that’s past history,” de Blasio cut him off.
“No no no no. Wow. Wait, apples and oranges my friend,” the mayor said.
“My mind has exploded. I’ll try to get it back,” he added.
“The Mueller report is something on an entirely different level and I think it’s clearly pointed to a number of areas where there could have been violations on the the law and an impeachable offense and now it’s up to the Congress to take the next step. So entirely different matter,” he said.
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