De Blasio tries to defend using taxpayer-funded NYPD security for campaign trips
Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the use of taxpayer funds to cover the costs of his NYPD security detail while traveling for his long-shot presidential bid.
“I’m obviously in a high-profile situation here,” Hizzoner claimed on WNYC radio Friday, even though he’s polling at less than 1 percent among the 24 Democratic contenders and has had as few as eight people attend his out-of-state campaign events.
WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer asked the mayor to confirm that “New York City taxpayers are footing the bill for security on your out-of-town campaign trips rather than your campaign paying for that?”
De Blasio at first dodged the query.
“Any question like that, and there’s a reason I say this, Brian, NYPD needs to address all the question around security. Anything that you ask has ramifications for detailing what kind of security I have and don’t have,” he said.
In previous trips to early primary states, the mayor has brought along four members of his official NYPD security team.
“Everything we do is with the understanding that we’re trying to do things economical and smart,” he said.
Lehrer pressed on.
“Why not have the campaign pay for campaign security and maybe fully fund the libraries?” he asked, referencing the mayor’s plan to cut $11 million in public money from the city’s library system.
“It’s a very, very small amount of money. It’s not anywhere near what we’re talking about for libraries,” he said.
Gloss