State Sen. Malcolm Smith and city Councilman Dan Halloran were among six arrested Tuesday morning in a sweeping corruption probe intended to rig the New York City mayoral election, according to multiple reports.
Smith, a Democratic State Senator, and Halloran, a Republican, allegedly plotted to get Smith on the mayoral ballot as a Republican candidate, according to the New York Post. Smith allegedly tried to buy Republican support in at least three boroughs, which he would have needed to run as a GOP candidate.
In order to get on the ballot as a Republican candidate,Smith teamed up with Halloran to arrange meetings with Republican Party leaders to negotiate thousands of dollars in bribes, according to the Post. They allegedly marked the money as going toward legal and accounting services.
Two Republicans — Bronx Republican Chairman Joseph Savino and Queens GOP Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone — allegedly took the bribes.
Late last year, Smith was one of five Democratic Senators to defect from a potential majority and form an Independent Democratic Conference with Republicans, irking Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He was briefly the Senate's Majority Leader in 2009. His arrest could end up shifting the State Senate balance and weaken Republican control.
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