Why Bill de Blasio Got a Hefty Fine from New York City

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ran for president in 2020. It was a flash-in-the-pan situation, as he never had a shot at winning the nomination. The man was term-limited and wanted a voice in the larger public discourse—what better way to do that than by running for president? De Blasio’s tenure as mayor was controversial, specifically for his antagonistic relationship with New York’s finest. 

There were rumors that he would speak to aides out of earshot of his security detail due to the level of distrust. Ironically, that detail is what got him in trouble. New York City slapped the former mayor with a hefty fine for improperly using that security detail when he ran for president. It’s not cheap at $500,000:

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was fined nearly $500,000 by the city for improperly using NYPD officers as security detail during his brief Democratic presidential campaign.

De Blasio ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination from May to September 2019 and had the city pay for the travel expenses for his NYPD security detail, according to a report by the NYC Conflicts of Interest Board. The former mayor was ordered to pay $155,000 as punishment and just under $320,000 to reimburse the expenses incurred by the NYPD.