Elections 2024: US Rep. D'Esposito Faces Ethics Scandal in Critical House Race

"US Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R) on Tuesday pushed back against a New York Times report alleging that he put both an alleged ex-girlfriend and the daughter of his longtime fiancee on his congressional payroll, as Democrats called for further investigation of allegations that could cross House ethics rules," reported Newsday. "D’Esposito, who is in a competitive race against Democrat Laura Gillen for New York’s fourth congressional district, called the article 'political tabloid garbage' but did not deny any of its claims."

Context: This hotly contested district includes the City of Long Beach and nearly all of the Town of Hempstead, except for most of Levittown. D'Esposito (R) is a former Hempstead Town Councilmember and retired NYPD detective. After then-US Rep. Kathleen Rice (D) retired in 2022, D'Esposito (R) defeated former Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen (D) 52-48% in one of several upset victories in suburban New York that handed Republicans control of the US House of Representatives. Former President Donald Trump (R) visited the district to hold a rally at Nassau Coliseum just last week, and both parties consider this rematch to be a national priority to decide control of Congress.