De Blasio Says He Won’t Have a Crack Tape Scandal

Time to breath a sigh of relief, New York: If elected mayor, Bill de Blasio says you won’t find a

Bill de Blasio. (Photo: Getty)
Bill de Blasio. (Photo: Getty)

Time to breath a sigh of relief, New York: If elected mayor, Bill de Blasio says you won’t find a video tape of him smoking crack cocaine.

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Of course, not all cities are so lucky. Infamous reports in Gawker and the Toronto Star emerged last May of a video that reportedly showed Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking what appeared to be the drug; today, Toronto’s police chief, Bill Blair, said police had obtained the video in question. “I’m disappointed,” said Mr. Blair.

But Mr. de Blasio said earlier this afternoon that the same thing won’t happen under his watch if he’s elected mayor.

“I find your question interesting,” Mr. de Blasio told Politicker, quizzically, when asked about the discovery and whether New York City would be spared similar scandal under his watch.

“I think I have lived my life in a very clear fashion. I think I’ve been fully vetted by you and many others in this last year. And I think what you see is what you get,” he added.

Both Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, and Joe Lhota, his Republican rival, have admitted to smoking pot in their younger days, but drew the line at harder drugs. Asked during last night’s debate if they’d ever used an illegal drug outside of marijuana, both flatly stated “no.”

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin.

De Blasio Says He Won’t Have a Crack Tape Scandal