According to The New York Times, a campaign donor to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio secretly pleaded guilty in court to offering him a bribe, and “a federal criminal information in the case makes it clear that the donor, Harendra Singh, got something in return.”

That certainly gives credence to theorizing that de Blasio took a bribe. He has not been charged with anything of the sort.

The Times reports that Singh was attempting to obtain favorable lease terms for a restaurant he owned which happened to be on city property. Court documents revealed de Blasio aided Singh in exchange for the contributions; the documents also stated that an unnamed senior aide to Mr. de Blasio set up a meeting in order to urge a city agency to help Singh with the terms of the lease. – READ MORE

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday he’ll be taking new trips across the country in support of the left, sending out new signals of White House hopes while denying it’s a dry run for a presidential bid.

Since coming to City Hall in Jan. 2014, de Blasio has traveled outside the U.S. at least 11 times, including trips to Italy, Germany and France, and has taken trips outside the city at least 53 times — not including trips to Albany and Washington, D.C., The New York Post reported.

Looking to become a national leader in progressive politics, de Blasio has stated that Democrats must embrace a progressive agenda to win elections in the future.– READ MORE

In early-February 2016, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation that would provide a pay raise to himself, city council members, district attorneys, and borough presidents, among others. The mayor said he wouldn’t take the pay raise until the beginning of his second term, which officially began on January 1, 2018.

De Blasio’s new $258,750 salary represents an increase of 15% over his previous salary of $225,000. A New Yorker earning a $13 minimum wage, working eight hours a day, seven days a week (with no time off) would make $34,944 before taxes — which is roughly equivalent to de Blasio’s $33,750 pay increase.

The New York Post quotes E.J. McMahon, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy as well as an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute, who states that de Blasio’s salary increase isn’t “out of line” when adjusted for inflation. He compared it to the salary of former New York City Mayor Ed Koch (1978 – 1989), who earned $130,000 during his final year in office; $130,000 in 1989 is equivalent to $258,600 in 2017, according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator.- READ MORE