Mayor Bloomberg, after headlining a fundraiser for Republican AG nominee Dan Donovan last night, pivoted off the AEG Aqueduct scandal that's engulfed the state Senate Democratic leadership to hit state Sen. Eric Schneiderman.
He made clear he was hitting Schneiderman's "integrity" and didn't yoke him directly to the scandal — and Schneiderman has said he knew nothing about what was going on and returned campaign money from the senators in questions, condemning the allegedly pay-to-play-tainted process.
But Bloomberg added, "These are all his friends, people that he has been serving with, crafting legislation together, urging people to vote with the whole cabal…you can't walk away from that."
Mayor Bloomberg's multi-billion dollar fortune will be managed a company the Mayor owns. The disclosure came yesterday in a City Conflicts of Interest Board filing.
Bloomberg told the Board that the people managing his investments at Willett Advisors LLC, would be the same individuals that handled his holdings at Quadrangle, a firm that has been snared in the pay-to-play pension probe that has already produced several convictions. Earlier this year Quadrangle paid $12 million is state and federal fines.
Quadrangle was co-founded by long-time Bloomberg confidant Steven Rattner, a former New York Timesreporter and heavy Democratic Party donor. He was tapped by the Obama Administration to rescue the auto industry.
Bloomberg has consistently expressed confidence in Rattner, who is still under scrutiny by state and federal authorities. Earlier this month, Rattner told WNYC he's "working for the mayor."