State Inspector General Identifies Source of SBOE Referral Leak

On Tuesday, the state Inspector General released a report which finds that a state Board of Elections (SBOE) spokesperson – a Republican appointee — released a memo that made a referral for criminal prosecution of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his political team for their fundraising in 2014 to help Democrats win control of the state Senate in 2014. (Read the memo here.)

De Blasio maintains that his 2014 fundraising was legal, and has questioned the timing and motivation of behind the leak.  The author of the report, Risa Sugarman, the SBOE’s Chief Enforcement Counsel, was appointed by Governor Cuomo.

After the release of the Inspector General’s report, Ms. Sugarman released a statement calling for an apology:

“Allegations were made primarily by the New York City mayor that I leaked the report due to political motivations.  Now that we know the facts, I hope the mayor will apologize for maligning my integrity and professionalism.”

It does not appear that any apology is forthcoming.

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