Mayor de Blasio on Thursday spent a large chunk of his second straight workday huddling with his lawyer — apparently prepping for a long-anticipated sit-down with federal prosecutors investigating his campaign fund-raising.
De Blasio spent more than five hours at the Midtown law office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, arriving with his security detail in a black SUV around 11:30 a.m. and leaving around 4:40 p.m.
On Wednesday, de Blasio had no public schedule and spent several hours at the law office.
De Blasio’s spokesman Eric Phillips said the mayor did not meet with the feds, but declined to elaborate on what Hizzoner and his lawyer, Barry Berke, spent much of the past two workdays discussing.
Mollie Fullington, a spokeswoman for GOP mayoral candidate Paul Massey, slammed de Blasio for his leisurely schedule.
“New Yorkers need a mayor who will focus on sensible policies and excellent service for its residents, not someone who is distracted by a record number of criminal investigations, and who may even have a pay-to-play deal with his law firm,” she said.
De Blasio — who had already met with Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office in relation to a state probe, had just two scheduled events for the day, and took no media questions.
In the evening, the mayor hosted a Black History Month Celebration at the American Museum of Natural History and spoke at the One Hundred Black Men Annual Gala at the Sheraton in Midtown.
And after his not-so-busy workday, de Blasio planned to skip town Friday for two days to attend the Democratic National Committee meeting in Atlanta to campaign for Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to become DNC chair.
The mayor plans to form a legal defense fund to cover his expenses as the bills pile up.
Phil Walzak, his campaign fund spokesman, declined to comment when asked whether Hizzoner would take Comptroller Scott Stringer’s advice and seek guidance from the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board on how to structure the defense fund.
COIB previously issued an opinion on the same topic after Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-SI) asked for a ruling for her own legal defense fund when her 2009 campaign fund was probed.
The board determined that Rose’s fund should operate under the same campaign contribution limits set under city campaign finance laws. That would limit the mayor to donations of $4,950 from individuals and $400 from those doing city business.
Walzak wouldn’t say if de Blasio planned to follow Rose’s lead and abide by contribution limits.
Lawyer Randy Mastro, who launched a lawsuit against Rose that led her to set up the fund, told The Post he believes de Blasio would be skirting his responsibilities to the public if failed to seek COIB advice.
“It would seem prudent that an elected official creating a legal defense fund go to the Conflicts of Interest Board for guidance, and if there have been precedents” on certain fundraising restrictions that have been set “then that is something that should be followed going forward,” said Mastro, a former deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani.
COIB Executive Director Carolyn Miller declined comment about the mayor’s legal fund. She also declined to discuss the board’s ruling of Rose’s fund, saying it was “private.”
However, she did say the board “strives to be consistent” with earlier opinions when asked to rule on similar topics. Miller also said de Blasio is not required to seek an opinion with COIB.