State investigation clears Steve Pigeon of wrong doing

The State Police investigation into the campaign fundraising activities of the revered political operative G. Steven Pigeon has found no evidence of wrong doing, a local elected official tells The Chronicle. The State Police investigation stems from a May 2015 raid of the home of Pigeon and those of Republican operative Chris Grant and former Deputy Mayor Steve Casey after complaints of campaign finance irregularities.

Operatives postulate that Pigeon may seek civil damages against the Attorney General’s Office for leaking advance notice of the raids to local press outlets, in an apparent effort to actively discredit the reputation of the high powered lobbyist. Those May 2015 raids were widely seen as being motivated by personal political grudges of the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The source says that the investigation into the fundraising activities of Casey have become the focus of the investigation. A slush fund was raised at gatherings held at the homes of senior figures in the Brown administration. It was used for political activities that went unreported, says the elected official.

“The Attorney General’s callous disregard for the first amendment is an egregious breach of the public trust,” says one Pigeon supporter. “These campaign laws have become too tedious — we are in need of deregulation in this area, simply to protect constitutional rights.”