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A top New York Democrat was busted today for trying to buy his way to the Republican nomination for the upcoming New York City mayoral election, according to an indictment that also named a slew of co-conspirators.
State Sen. Malcolm Smith and City Councilman Dan Halloran were both arrested by federal officials this morning after they were indicted on corruption and conspiracy charges.
Four other officials, including the heads of the Republican Party in the Bronx and Queens, were also charged.
Smith, a Democrat with more than a decade of experience in the state Senate, allegedly tried to bribe Republican officials with $75,000 to allow him to run as a Republican for mayor of New York City this fall.
Smith, 52, wanted to avoid the crowded field of Democratic candidates looking to replace Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and instead run on the Republican ticket. To do so, he would need consent from three of the city's five GOP county chairmen, so Smith arranged to bribe some of the chairmen with cash, according to the indictment.
"As alleged, Senator Malcolm Smith tried to bribe his way to a shot at (mayoral residence) Gracie Mansion. Smith drew up the game plan and Councilman Halloran essentially quarterbacked that drive by finding party chairmen who were wide open to receiving bribes," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said today.
Full Story: New York Politicians Busted for Trying to Rig NYC Mayor's Race - ABC News
Clearly this eliminates him from the race, but do you think it will have any impact on the other candidates or the overall race?