Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) on Monday couldn’t walk off accusations that he put his mistress on the payroll in a possible violation of House ethics standards. (Watch the videos below.)
D’Esposito could be seen in footage uncomfortably ambling along with a cell phone to his ear while several curious reporters peppered him with questions like, “Why did you give your mistress a job?” and “Did you do it?”
Citing sources “familiar with the relationship,” The New York Times reported earlier in the day that the first-term Long Island congressman, who’s running for re-election, hired a woman with whom he was having an affair. And that was after he reportedly employed his fiancée’s daughter in the same district office.
But their salaries were stopped in July 2023 when D’Esposito’s fiancée found out about about his affair and temporarily ended the relationship, sources told the paper.
The House forbids members from sexual relationships with employees under their supervision. It also prohibits nepotism, which perhaps could apply to the fiancée’s daughter, a legal expert told the newspaper.
“The latest political tabloid garbage being peddled by The New York Times is nothing more than a slimy, partisan ‘hit piece’ designed to distract Long Islanders from Democrats’ failing record on border security, the economy, and foreign policy,” D’Esposito said in a statement to The New York Post.
“My personal life has never interfered with my ability to deliver results for New York’s 4th district, and I have upheld the highest ethical standards of personal conduct,” he added.
He had far less to say during his stroll with reporters, as video shared by CNN’s Haley Talbot and Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz shows:
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D’Esposito is running against Democrat Laura Gillen in a rematch of 2022.
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