The Monroe County Democratic Committee says it has received a subpoena from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seeking records related to certain campaign contributions.
The counsel for the committee, Chris Thomas, released a statement which said the committee has already provided documents in response and will continue to fully cooperate with the inquiry. He says that prior to receiving the subpoena, the committee had already started an internal investigation aimed at determining what happened and whether what occurred was consistent with the committee's by-laws and best practices.
The Monroe County Democratic Committee says it intends to make that investigation public after the Manhattan D-A's investigation has concluded.
The statement did not specify what records were requested, but the Democrat & Chronicle notes that it was reported previously that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is reviewing the funneling of money by donors into county committees that was used to help Democratic candidates.
Monroe County Republican Chair Bill Reilich issued a statement saying his committee had earlier filed a complaint with the state board of elections about allegedly illegal donations to the Monroe County Democratic Committee.
Reilich also says he trusts that the details of the investigation will eventually become public and those who were in violation of the law will ultimately be held responsible. He also said he expects that any illegally obtained campaign funds would eventually be returned.
