Bill de Blasio says he didn't know his daughter was arrested at a protest until the media asked
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter was arrested protesting in New York over the weekend — and when journalists had questions, they apparently broke the news to him.
The mayor in a press conference on Monday fielded a question about his daughter, Chiara de Blasio, being arrested on Saturday during a protest sparked by the death of George Floyd, with a reporter asking why he didn't immediately inform the public that this happened. The reason, de Blasio said? He didn't know about it.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
De Blasio went on to say he was aware his daughter was protesting but he "never heard from her after that" about being arrested, and "the only reason I found out" about the arrest was the media inquiry, at which point he reached out to her to find out what happened, not even knowing at this point "if it meant in real time, or it happened previously."
Having since received the details, de Blasio defended his daughter, saying she was "peacefully protesting" and "not doing anything that would provoke a negative response." He also blasted the New York Police Department sergeants' union that tweeted out Chiara's arrest report, calling this "unconscionable" and "absolutely inappropriate." Brendan Morrow
