Former DA sullied by report of desperate campaign tactics
Email trail also damages longtime friends
A report by the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is being used to levy probable criminal charges against a politician, expose ethical violations by a respected jurist and raise serious questions on judicial ethics and political campaigns. The 27-page report accuses former Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes of misusing public funds and improperly using the office as a pseudo-campaign headquarters with staff members acting as campaign staffers.
In 2012, as Hynes prepared himself for a tough re-election fight, two opponents, Ken Thompson and Abe George, entered the race to unseat Hynes as DA. According to the DOI report released just yesterday, it was in the process of this long and hard-fought campaign, that Hynes recklessly—and at worst knowingly—violated ethical protocols and established laws. If Hynes’s bid was, ultimately, unsuccessful (he lost to Thompson in the November 2013 general election) it was not for any lack of trying.
The DOI report asserts that Hynes used senior staff members of the Kings County district attorney’s office (KCDA) to engage with the press, provide political advice and further his re-election campaign. One email exchange, using KCDA email accounts, took place between between Hynes and then Deputy DA Dino Amoroso. Hynes requested that his deputy attend a meeting with Hynes’ campaign manager Dennis Quirk. It is apparent from the email that Hynes requested Amoroso’s presence because “I want [Dennis] to begin to see the managerial, administrative and organization skills you developed.”