Vulnerable New York Republicans Dodge Questions Over Anthony D’Esposito’s Abuse of Power

The New York Times : "Representative Anthony D'Esposito, a New York Republican, gave part-time jobs to both his lover and his fiancée's daughter, in possible violation of House ethics rules."

Following a groundbreaking report in The New York Times that exposed Anthony D'Esposito for putting his fiancée's daughter and the woman he was having an affair with on his congressional payroll - a potential violation of multiple House ethics rules - vulnerable New York Republicans Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro have been uncharacteristically mum.

While spotlight seeker Mike Lawler chases the limelight by routinely going on national TV, he can't find to muster up the words in response to his fellow Republican extremists' corruption:

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Marc Molinaro, who had a lot to say after he elevated and promoted a racist, debunked conspiracy theory peddled by Donald Trump and JD Vance, was also at a loss for words.

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In the halls of Congress, Lawler and Molinaro became very interested in an elevator ceiling when reporters asked if D'Esposito should be subject to an ethics investigation.

Flash back nearly a year ago, and LaLota, Lawler, Molinaro, and Williams repeatedly and unnecessarily stalled an expulsion of serial fraudster and ex-Congressman George Santos until their own increasing vulnerability forced them to. Now, while these four New York Republicans are facing some of the toughest re-election campaigns in the country, they continue to be late to the accountability party.

DCCC Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty:
"Once again, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro are making it crystal clear that their loyalties are to protecting one of their own in the midst of disturbing allegations at the expense of New York taxpayers."

The New York Times: A Congressman Had an Affair. Then He Put His Lover on the Payroll.
Nicholas Fandos | September 23, 2024

KEY POINTS:

• As a proud son of Nassau County's vaunted Republican machine, Representative Anthony D'Esposito of New York knows well the power of political patronage. Every member of his immediate family has held a town or county job, and as a local official, he routinely helped friends find spots on the government payroll.

• Yet even by those standards, Mr. D'Esposito's hiring decisions since he won a seat in Congress in 2022 have been audacious - and in two cases may have transgressed ethics rules designed to combat nepotism and corruption.

• Shortly after taking the oath of office, the first-term congressman hired his longtime fiancée's daughter to work as a special assistant in his district office, eventually bumping her salary to about $3,800 a month, payroll records show.

• In April, Mr. D'Esposito added someone even closer to him to his payroll: a woman with whom he was having an affair, according to four people familiar with the relationship. The woman, Devin Faas, collected $2,000 a month for a part-time job in the same district office.

• Payments to both women stopped abruptly several months later, in July 2023, records show, around the time that Mr. D'Esposito's fiancée found out about his relationship with Ms. Faas and briefly broke up with him, according to the four people.

• Mr. D'Esposito has not been publicly accused of wrongdoing, but his employment of the two women, which resulted in the payment of about $29,000 in taxpayer funds, could expose him to discipline in the House of Representatives.

• The House code of conduct prohibits members of Congress from employing spouses or relatives, including stepchildren. Though Mr. D'Esposito has never married, congressional ethics experts said that employing a woman akin to his stepdaughter, who shared a home with him, could breach the requirement that members of Congress "adhere to the spirit and the letter of the rules."

• "There are lots of shades of gray in ethics stuff. This is something that is obvious," said Donald Sherman, a former lawyer for the House Ethics Committee who serves as chief counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

• "The House is trying to prevent members from using government funds to enrich their family or close associates," he added.

• Matt Capp, a spokesman for Mr. D'Esposito, did not deny that the congressman had a relationship with Ms. Faas and declined to comment on his employment of either woman.

• Asked to speak about the relationship by phone on Monday, Ms. Faas said "no thank you" and hung up.

• Knowledge of Mr. D'Esposito's tangled personal and professional lives passed through Republican circles on Long Island for years, though none of it has ever been reported.

• Mr. D'Esposito, 42, has built his government career with the help of Nassau County's Republican power brokers, famous for stocking town, village and county offices with friends, supporters and relatives.

• Mr. Sherman said that he believed her employment ran afoul of Mr. D'Esposito's sworn oath to uphold the spirit of the House code of conduct.

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