Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D.) is facing renewed scrutiny over an FBI investigation into whether the state’s Democratic party illicitly financed his 2014 reelection campaign.
Reporters questioned Malloy last week about the criminal probe seeking to determine if the Connecticut Democratic Party illegally spent roughly $278,000 from its federal account for a mailing that supported Malloy’s gubernatorial reelection, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
The state party said the mailers, which were covered with photos and praise for Malloy, were used for a get-out-the-vote effort that also helped federal candidates because they included polling hours and a phone number for rides to the polls.
Malloy in 2014 signed an affidavit that barred him from pulling money for his campaign from the $6.5 million in public funds he received from the Citizens Election Fund.
The Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office has since assembled a grand jury to investigate whether Malloy violated the affidavit. The governor said Tuesday that he would not comment on an ongoing probe.
"I’m not going to be pulled into an ongoing regular discussion on this stuff," Malloy told reporters. "I think people have a right to take a look. They’re taking a look. We’ll see where it goes. It’s the party, and we’ll see where it ends."
The Republican Governors Association charged last month that Malloy, who had just delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention, "conveniently failed to mention that he is facing numerous scandals in Connecticut, where his governorship has been a disaster."
Malloy told Fox News in late July that the investigation was "an election examination of fundraising and expenditures" and that he is "quite confident that it will be resolved," according to the Associated Press.
The mailers first came under investigation in 2014 when Connecticut Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano worked with the State Republican Party to challenge their use to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. The Democratic Party paid the state $325,000 to settle the issue.
"It’s his campaign committee that’s being investigated, along with the state party and I don’t think you can separate Governor Malloy from either the two," Fasano told the Associated Press. "It’s pretty common knowledge that Governor Malloy was in charge of the state party in 2014 and his guys were running the reelection of his campaign."
Malloy has acted as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid and other Democratic governors across the United States. The Clinton campaign has not yet commented on the investigation.