Trump's top watchdog nominee under fresh scrutiny for allegedly putting secret lover on congressional payroll

President Trump's prime to beryllium the apical Labor Department watchdog has first-hand acquisition with wrong inquiries – having himself been the taxable of an interior constabulary probe and getting raked for reportedly putting his paramour connected the congressional payroll.

Trump included erstwhile Rep. Anthony D'Esposito among a agelong database of different nominees Monday evening, aft clearing retired astir inspectors wide arsenic 1 of his archetypal acts aft retaking the White House.

D'Esposito is simply a erstwhile NYPD serviceman who served a azygous word arsenic a Republican congressman from New York.

During his tenure helium was the taxable of a bombshell study that helium enactment his fiancee's girl connected the payroll for $3,800 a month.

He besides gave a $2,000-per-month occupation to Devin Faas, a pistillate with whom helium was allegedly having an affair, according to a New York Times report past year.

The relationship prompted an outside report to the House Office of Congressional Ethics by an extracurricular Democratic-backed watchdog group, though whether thing ever came of it remains shrouded.

A spokesperson for the House Ethics sheet offered a elemental 'no comment' erstwhile asked if the sheet had opened up a ceremonial probe oregon what was the last status. Such ceremonial probes, erstwhile begun, typically extremity erstwhile a lawmaker loses their seat.

'If the Administration wants to chopped waste, fraud, and maltreatment astatine the Department of Labor, it’s shocking they would nominate idiosyncratic who has abused each azygous presumption of powerfulness he’s ever held to oversee that process,' fumed Rep. Laura Gillen, who defeated D'Esposito successful 2022 and present holds the Long Island spot successful Congress, successful a connection to DailyMail.com.

D'Esposito blasted the study past twelvemonth without explicitly denying it. 

He called it 'tabloid garbage' a 'slimy, partisan "hit piece" designed to distract Long Islanders from Democrats’ failing grounds connected borderline security, the economy, and overseas policy,' successful comments to the New York Post past September.

'My idiosyncratic beingness has ne'er interfered with my quality to present results for New York’s 4th district, and I person upheld the highest ethical standards of idiosyncratic conduct,' helium said.

The House Ethics codification states that 'a member, delegate oregon nonmigratory commissioner whitethorn not clasp the comparative of specified idiosyncratic successful a paid position, and an worker of the House whitethorn not judge compensation for enactment for a committee connected which the comparative of specified employees serves arsenic a member.'

The bipartisan Ethics sheet usually tries to steer wide of opening a probe close earlier an election, and the study connected D'Esposito came September 23, 2024 – weeks earlier helium mislaid his seat. 

The Times reported that it confirmed the matter with 3 sources and corroborated the relationship with Faas's ex-husband Derek W. Ciaschi. It quoted from texts it called emotion notes.

'Love you till Monday,' Faas wrote him with a a bosom emoji. 'So much,” D’Esposito responded. 'SO SO.'

The White House defended D'Esposito's inheritance erstwhile asked astir his erstwhile opponent's accusations and asked for the last presumption of immoderate House inquiry. 'As a erstwhile legislator and instrumentality enforcement officer, Anthony D’Esposito is exceptionally qualified to service arsenic Inspector General for the Department of Labor,' White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told DailyMail.com.

D'Esposito, a erstwhile NYPD detective, besides went done a ailment by the force's Internal Affairs part implicit a 'side-gig' arsenic a bartender.

El Diario New York reported past summertime during his reelection run that a suit alleging that helium lied to a expansive assemblage and then-Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr.'s bureau successful 2011, resulting successful a $250,000 settlement.

Another ailment said helium confiscated a defendant's achromatic golden concatenation during an apprehension and that it wasn't returned, the New York Daily News reported past year.

'During his clip successful the NYPD, connected the Hempstead Town Council, and present successful Congress, Anthony D’Esposito has shown a signifier of corruption, dishonesty and incompetence and exposed his extremism on the way,' Gillen said during their nasty reelection fight, a replay of the contention 2 years earlier. 

The probe into the golden concatenation got an interior affairs tracking fig and was 'partially substantiated,' according to the Daily News, which wasn't capable to find immoderate ceremonial consequence. 

Police records amusement helium ended up getting docked 15 abrogation days for moving arsenic a disc jockey without 'permission.' 

Any idiosyncratic baggage aside, D'Esposito's partisan inheritance is simply a departure for the typically nonpartisan IG offices, whose ngo is to probe imaginable fraud wrong government.

IGs clasp extended powers, including the quality to subpoena documents and information, arsenic portion of their relation of tracking however billions of payer dollars get spent. They besides person entree to mountains of data, astatine a clip erstwhile DOGE is warring with national bureau officials implicit entree to integer accusation connected Americans.

D'Esposito's campaign website was inactive progressive this week, and had him slamming erstwhile VP Kamala Harris and attacking 'Democrats' lies astir the information of our country.'

His information came aft Trump nominated Thomas March Bell to beryllium the IG of the Health and Human Services Department.

Bell is wide counsel for House Republicans. When helium worked for the Virginia state Department of Environmental Quality, helium was fined successful a 1997 audit that recovered helium improperly authorized an $8,000 outgo to the agency's erstwhile flak for comp time. 

Mark Greenblatt, 1 of the IGs that Trump fired astatine the commencement of his term, called D'Esposito a 'heavy partisan' whose inheritance was 'completely anathema to the inspector wide community.'

Greenblatt, who was nominated and confirmed by the Senate during Trump's archetypal term, besides called the HHS IG information 'very problematic,' saying 'both of them person substantiated morals issues and are not competent successful different ways.'

IG nominations aren't usually contested, and tin beryllium confirmed by a elemental bulk ballot successful the Senate, wherever Republicans clasp a 53-47 majority. 

D'Esposito had lobbied to beryllium head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Newsday reported.