de Blasio Defends, Chapter 2



Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference today in which he defended himself for a second consecutive day against witness testimony in a federal corruption trial.  de Blasio spoke in the Arverne section of Rockaway, as part of a lengthy presentation and press conference marking the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy and promoting the City’s ongoing rebuilding and resiliency efforts.  Mayor de Blasio held a press conference yesterday, following a Midwood synagogue visit, in which he similarly defended himself against that testimony.

de Blasio again cast the witness testifying in the trial of Norman Seabrook, Jona Rechnitz, as a “liar” and “convicted felon,” energetically rejecting the assertion that de Blasio committed any crime or legal but wrongful acts in return for Rechnitz’ campaign and political contributions.  de Blasio repeatedly emphasized that the U.S. Attorney’s office would have known all that Rechnitz has alleged, as he’s been cooperating with the U.S. Attorney, when the U.S. Attorney ended its investigation of de Blasio without bringing any charges.

Video:

Here is the full “off-topic” portion of the Q&A at today’s press conference.  All but one of the questions focused on Rechnitz’ testimony.