NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced that his administration will be investigating reports that several NYPD officers and public officials appear to have ties to a far-right, anti-government militia.
WNYC and Gothamist conducted the original investigation after an anonymous hacker allegedly released membership data from the Oath Keepers, showing at least three New York public officials and two active NYPD officers were listed on the logs.
The report also found several others “whose names matched information listed in the hacked records.” However, WNYC/Gothamist could not confirm if any of them were active members with the far-right extremist group.
During a Thursday morning press conference, 1010 WINS’ Roger Stern asked de Blasio about the allegations, to which the mayor confirmed that his administration was looking into the matter.
“Organizations that supported the insurrection on January 6 in Washington, organizations that are trying to destroy our democratic freedoms, undermine our nation, undermined our people – that's very, very troubling to me that anyone would want to be a part of that,” the mayor said. “And we need a full investigation and there will be a full investigation.”
“There are very, very clear penalties for that kind of activity so that investigation is going to happen right away and we're gonna definitely keep you posted on what comes from that,” the mayor added.
A spokesperson for the NYPD also confirmed to 1010 WINS that the “incident is under internal review.”
According to the NYPD Patrol Guide, officers are forbidden from knowingly associated with any person or organization known for advocating “hatred, oppression, or prejudice.”
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The Oath Keepers was founded in late 2008, following the election of former President Barack Obama.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate grounds, Oath Keepers is known to spread conspiracy theories and has encouraged its members to investigate claims of voter fraud by monitoring polling sites.
“While the group claims to defend the Constitution, the entire Oath Keepers organization is based on a set of baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy Americans’ liberties,” the SPLC wrote about the group.
Several members of the militia have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from their roles in the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol Building.
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