NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio misused security detail for personal benefit, investigation concludes

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) used his security detail for personal reasons, and he cost the city more than $300,000 during his failed run for president that he has failed to reimburse, an investigation has concluded.

The New York City Department of Investigation said in a report released Thursday that the mayor used his security detail for personal reasons, including to help his daughter move to Gracie Mansion, The New York Times reports. That was a "misuse of NYPD resources for a personal benefit," the report said. It also found that the NYPD's Executive Protection Unit on numerous occasions "transported mayoral staffers to various locations, including to their homes, and assisted them in running errands for the mayor."

Additionally, the report said that during the mayor's unsuccessful run for president in 2019, the city spent nearly $320,000 for his security detail to travel with him on campaign trips, and de Blasio hasn't reimbursed the city. This reflected a "use of NYPD resources for political purposes," the investigation said.

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De Blasio's office was highly critical of the report's findings, telling The New York Times that "civilian investigators" should not make these determinations.

"This unprofessional report purports to do the NYPD's job for them, but with none of the relevant expertise — and without even interviewing the official who heads intelligence for the city," the mayor's office said. "As a result, we are left with an inaccurate report, based on illegitimate assumptions and a naïve view of the complex security challenges facing elected officials today."

The investigation's conclusion comes a day after a report said de Blasio has been privately telling people that he plans to run for governor of New York next year.