Bill de Blasio, left, walks in a hallway at the state Capitol. | AP Photo/Mike Groll IG names GOP elections spokesman as source of de Blasio leak Since confidential memo's leak, mayor had repeatedly pointed to governor

ALBANY — The state inspector general’s office has identified John Conklin, the Republican spokesman at the state Board of Elections, as the source of a leak of a confidential memo recommending a criminal referral over fundraising efforts New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio coordinated in 2014.

The referral was adopted unanimously by the BOE in a January vote. Referrals made by the board are required to be kept confidential, but the memo from enforcement counsel Risa Sugarman was posted on the Daily News’ website last month.


Since then, the mayor and his allies have repeatedly pointed to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appointed Sugarman and has a history of torturing de Blasio, as the likeliest person to have propelled the investigation and its leak. Cuomo, in turn, has pointed to the possibility that it could have been leaked by the Republicans who control half the board.

Based on the report from the Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott, who was also appointed by the governor, Cuomo’s suggestion was right. Conklin “admitted he disseminated the documents,” the report found.

Daily News reporter Ken Lovett knew about the existence of the documents “in sum and substance” before calling Conklin to request a copy. Conklin soon emailed them to both Lovett and Senate Republican Scott Reif.

The inspector general’s office said it is “forwarding the matter” to both the Joint Commission on Public Ethics and to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Conklin has been at the BOE since 2009. Prior to that, he worked for several senators, including current Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan.

“At this time, the Commissioners are reviewing the Inspector General’s report and recommendations,” Thomas Connolly, the oard’s Democratic spokesman, said Tuesday.

Upon the report’s release, Sugarman demanded an apology from de Blasio.

“I requested the Inspector General conduct an investigation immediately after the leak of a confidential document prepared by my Division,” she said. “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.”

Although the report concluded that the leak originated from the Republican side of the BOE and not the enforcement counsel’s office — which is partially independent from the broader board, and has hardly had a history of amicable relations with it — de Blasio’s allies continued to lay some of the blame on Sugarman.

“The IG’s report confirms that Ms. Sugarman’s office failed to secure the confidentiality of the memo, and raises serious questions about the BOE’s management and policies,” said attorney Laurence Laufer. “If anyone should apologize, it is surely the BOE.”

Lovett declined to comment, saying that he does not discuss his sources.

View the full report here: http://on.ny.gov/24hVdYV

--additional reporting by Laura Nahmias

UPDATE: This story has been updated with comments from Connolly and Laufer.