FBI investigates Suffolk County Democratic Party chair after alleged vote-buying and threats

The New York Post reports the FBI is investigating Rich Schaffer, chairman of the Suffolk County Democratic Party, after party insiders accused him of offering cash and pressuring committee members to secure his reelection. Federal agents have contacted several party members and local government officials, the Post says, as investigators seek information about the allegations. The article says investigators reviewed text messages that it says show Schaffer offering money to some committee members and pressing others to attend and vote for him. According to the Post, multiple Democrats and former allies described the campaign of pressure as "Mafia-style," alleging Schaffer threatened to get committee members fired from jobs controlled by the party. The Post names Islip Town Democratic Chairwoman Leigh-Ann Barde among those who turned on Schaffer and reports she said she once considered Schaffer her "political father figure." The Post also reports accusers alleged Schaffer struck backdoor deals with the local GOP to keep Democrats off the county ballot, which the accusers say would leave Republicans unopposed in some contests. The Post reports Schaffer was reelected to the party chair last month after 26 years in the role. The story quotes Schaffer calling the allegations "baseless" and reporting he had not been contacted by law enforcement as of Wednesday. The Post also reports a statement from Schaffer’s attorney, Mark Lesko, who described Schaffer as the "model of professionalism and ethics."

The article presents the accusations and the reported steps taken by federal agents without presenting public law-enforcement confirmation of charges, arrests or a formal complaint. It reports the Post reviewed what it says are text messages supporting the allegations, and it relays the descriptions of the behaviour from those who spoke to the Post. The Post frames those accounts as coming from insiders, party members and former allies rather than as established legal findings. The New York Post’s account centers on internal party conflict in Suffolk County and the involvement of federal agents; it does not report any criminal charges, a courtroom filing, or independent confirmation from the FBI. The Post attributes claims about cash offers, threats and backroom deals to party members and former allies who spoke to its reporters and to the text messages the Post says it reviewed. The investigation, as described by the Post, raises questions about conduct within the county party and whether federal investigators will pursue charges, but the Post’s article contains only the accounts of accusers, the reported texts it reviewed and Schaffer’s denials as represented by his quoted statement and his attorney’s comment.