This morning The City has an explosive article on State Senator Brian Benjamin. Journalists reviewed the campaign donation records for the State Senator and found that some donations came from New Yorkers who’d never even heard of Senator Benjamin. Most sensationally, a 2-year old is one of the alleged donors to the Senator.

Brian Benjamin’s campaign promised to review over 20 donations worth thousands in public matching funds after THE CITY raised questions. 

Adedokun, of Brooklyn, also had no clue how he ended up on the Benjamin donor list.

“I don’t know how they get my address. I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not going to lie to you — if I made a promise or made a pledge, I’m going to say to you I made a pledge. But, I never [did].”

Said Alonzo, of The Bronx: “It sounds like a scam…. This is just so random.”

The three men — and a toddler — are among 23 individuals who were recorded as giving donations to the Benjamin 2021 campaign fund via an intermediary named Michael Murphy. Each name is associated with a $250 money order, Campaign Finance Board records show.

To read the full article, see: https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/1/4/22214373/brian-benjamin-comptroller-contributions

While Senator Benjamin says he will return the funds, the question remains, given this, should he be New York’s next Comptroller – tasked with overseeing the billions of dollars spent by the city and our next mayor – when his own campaign missed a donation from a 2-year old who happens to be the grandson of a major Harlem developer, Jerry Migdol?

We look forward to hearing from the Senator and learning how he can justify asking New Yorkers to trust his ability to conduct financial oversight for the entire city given this scandal in his own house.