Gothamist (Jimmy Vielkind); WSHUTier 2high

Backfill: State Democrats file a Board of Elections complaint saying Blakeman's Aug. 14 Nassau police academy event with Trump was a campaign rally run on county resources; Public Citizen files a Hatch Act complaint against AG Blanche for calling Blakeman "great" from the stage

Not previously logged. On Aug. 28 state Democratic chair Jay Jacobs filed a complaint with the NYS Board of Elections alleging Blakeman used county funds, facilities and personnel (the county-owned police academy, secured by county police, with cadets seated behind the stage) for a partisan rally featuring Republican congressional candidates, while accepting public matching funds. Trump later described the event on Truth Social as "a Rally in Nassau County in honor of Bruce Blakeman." Blakeman called the complaint a "Hail Mary" and said Trump came to tour law enforcement facilities. Separately, Public Citizen filed a Hatch Act complaint against U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche for praising Blakeman from the stage; DOJ called it baseless and politically motivated. Resurfaced Sept. 18 in an AP story on Blanche's pattern of political appearances. State law bars use of public resources for campaign activity; both incumbents routinely use official events for campaign-adjacent messaging, so the question is where the BOE draws the line. No BOE action reported. Watch: any BOE finding or PCFB inquiry, and whether the Aug. 14 costs show up in a campaign filing.

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Source: Gothamist (Jimmy Vielkind); WSHU · Sep 19, 2026 · Credibility Tier 2 · Permalink https://reviewhochul.com/news/democrats-boe-complaint-blakeman-trump-nassau-rally-hatch-act-blanche-2026-08-28

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