Defeated Mayoral Candidate John Liu plans to sue the city for stiffing him on up to $3.5 million in public matching funds for his political campaign amidst allegations of pervasive fundraising violations.
The sore loser, who eeked out a mere 7 percent during the primary election, claims the lack of funds damaged his “professional reputation,” suppressed his “freedom of expression” and denied him the “right to political opportunity.”
Since the comptroller’s office, which Liu currently runs, handles the paperwork for people who plan to sue the city, he has recused himself from “all matters concerning” his own lawsuit, according to a statement by his spokesman.
Liu also complains that the board “arbitrarily excluded him from elected office” by withholding the money.
He says the board’s “substantially unreasonable and incorrect decision” was reached during an “unfair and opaque process that specifically targeted Mr. Liu for adverse treatment.”
The claim was filed on Nov. 1 and is under review by the City’s Law Department.
The Campaign Finance Board referred the Post to a statement released in August.
The board said it was basing its ruling in part on the prosecution of Liu’s campaign treasurer Jia “Jenny” Hou and former fundraiser Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan who were both found guilty in October and sentenced to jail for trying to scam thousands of dollars from the board.
“The candidate is ultimately responsible for the campaign’s compliance with the law,” the board said. “The choice to withhold payment does not require a finding that the candidate has personally engaged in misconduct, however…the actions of a campaign’s treasurer or other agents are legally indistinguishable from the campaign.”