Bill Thompson yesterday sidestepped questions about a letter he wrote urging no jail time for his congressman boss, who had pleaded guilty to a raft of charges, including tax evasion.
“That’s a 27-year-old story on someone who obviously went through difficult times, and I’m not going to comment on something that is 27 years old at this point,” Thompson said, when asked about a Post report on the missive he wrote on behalf of then-Rep. Fred Richmond.
The Brooklyn lawmaker pleaded guilty in 1982 to tax evasion, drug possession and illegally padding a civilian worker’s salary.
Richmond, now 85, sharply criticized Thompson to The Post, but the city comptroller also declined to discuss that criticism.
Meanwhile, after months of speculation, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) is expected to endorse Thompson this week, sources said. She had been seen as a close ally of Mayor Bloomberg.
Additional reporting by Sally Goldenberg