The State Department says it has no problem with its Ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard, serving as an outside advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Five days after NY1 asked the State Department about Gaspard's role as a "agent of the city," a spokesman for the department said Gaspard's relationship with the Mayor was already addressed in 2014. Questions arose that year about whether Gaspard’s close ties to de Blasio crossed any legal or ethical lines.
At the time, the department said it was not surprising that the good friends kept in touch.
A spokesman said Wednesday: "Ambassador Gaspard has had a remarkable and long record in public service from the labor movement in New York to the Obama White House. Ambassador Gaspard maintains close personal friendships from his long history of distinguished public service, including in New York."
The mayor is refusing to turn over e-mails he exchanged with Gaspard, even though communications between mayor and people outside government are supposed to be disclosed under the open-records law.
The e-mail issue was first reported by NY1, after our requests to review e-mails between the mayor and another outside consultant were denied.
In a statement, Phil Walzak, a senior adviser to the mayor, said, “Patrick Gaspard has been a close friend of the Mayor’s for the last 25 years and provides advice to the Mayor in his personal capacity. He does not perform work with entities that do business with the City.”