Who is Harold Leath? Ethics experts ask if Rep Sean Maloney used ex-aide for 'personal services'
Ethics experts have raised questions on whether Rep Sean Patrick Maloney, the head of congressional Democrats’ campaign arm, used his House and campaign cash for “personal services” after hiring an aide. The former aide claimed that he was hired to serve as the lawmaker’s “body man".
Maloney (D-NY) became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2020. He later hired lifelong Floridian Harold Leath, whose role's strange description raised numerous “red flags", New York Post reported. Political spending experts and federal ethics watchdogs have claimed that this could actually be worth a probe.
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Who is Harold Leath?
Leath registered to vote at the Putnam County house, where Maloney and his husband lived when he first moved to New York. House spending records show that Leath started his tenure with the congressman that spring as an “executive assistant” in his government office. He was later classified by expenditure reports as a part-time employee and campaign worker.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Leath attended Florida International University - College of Business. He previously worked in various companies as a store manager, and even as a bar manager at Nespresso by Nestle. His bio reads, "Experienced in the fields of Management, Marketing, and Politics. I worked as a Congressional Aide for the U.S. House of Representatives for Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and helped numerous constituents with wide ranging issues in the federal, state, and local government. I succeeded in returning over 2.5 million federal, state, and local dollars to constituents all over the Hudson Valley. Over the years, I have gained substantial experience managing teams, speaking and presenting in public, reviewing and enhancing operational processes in both the public and private sectors and I am proficient in Microsoft Office as well as conversant in Spanish. In addition to my professional experience, I believe strongly in community development and have volunteered at numerous events designed to give back to the community and served as a social services professional. Awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) focused in Business Administration and Management from Florida International University - College of Business."
Leath reportedly played college football at West Virginia University and Florida International University.
Reps for Maloney have maintained that there was no wrongdoing by Maloney or the campaign in connection with hiring Leath or giving him his role. Recently, Leath explained his job as a “body man” for Maloney. "I was pretty much with the congressman everywhere he went within the district — if he went to a meeting, if he went out running. I would drive him everywhere he needed to go,” he told New York Post.
"When I first started, my main responsibility was to make sure the congressman and his family never needed anything,” Leath said. “I was to be there.” He explained that his presence was a way for Maloney to make a public persona. “The body man is one of the most important positions that Sean created to help him and help fix the image he wanted to portray,” said Leath. Now 40, he reportedly works for an event promotion company.
However, social media posts suggest that Leath's close relationship with Maloney and his kin extends beyond work activities. In an Instagram post from April 2015, Maloney’s husband Randy Florke shared a photo of Leath and the couple’s son, captioning it, "Family and friends watching Essie’s softball game!” Essie is one of the three children of Maloney. Leath shared a photo of himself swimming in a pool on Maloney's property.
In 2014, Leath attended Maloney and Florke’s wedding, which was revealed in photographs posted on Facebook by Florke’s business associate Jesse Escue. Later in June 2018, Florke posted a picture of himself, Maloney, and their kids at a gathering, along with Leath, who can be seen sitting at the table.
'Sounds like he was employed to do personal services'
Ann Ravel, a former Democratic chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, was shocked as she was presented with Leath's statement. The agency she works for is tasked with enforcing campaign finance law. "It sounds like he was employed to do personal services," she said, adding, "Some of those things he’s describing seem extraordinary."
“I’m sort of stunned,” Ravel added. “If it’s a consistent act and a consistent behavior, it’s problematic to use campaign funds on something of that nature.”
Questioning the DCCC chair’s use of public dollars, Elisa Sumner, a former Dutchess County Democratic Chairwoman, said, "Sean Patrick Maloney has always used his office to benefit himself — not his voters. The Democratic Party needs leadership that actually puts Democratic principles first, instead of a self-serving politician.”
Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette of the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight said, "The constituents did not elect the family of Sean Patrick Maloney; they elected Sean Patrick Maloney. There needs to be a bright dividing line there.”
Kedric Payne, Vice President of the Campaign Legal Center and former deputy chief counsel for the Office of Congressional Ethics, said, “I think it’s for the congressman’s office to quickly let voters know the answers to these red flags, and depending on what those responses are, the [Office of Congressional Ethics] should investigate.” He added, "Voters have the right to know that elected officials are following the ethics laws, so this office needs to explain what’s happening here."
'Never asked to do any work in a personal capacity'
Meanwhile, Matthew McNally, Maloney’s chief of staff, said in a statement, “Over his 4.5 years with our office, Harold Leath was never asked by anyone, including the congressman, his staff, or family, to do any work for the Congressman or his family in a personal capacity."
"Harold Leath provided transportation and logistical support as the congressman’s driver and body person," campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said, adding, “He was never asked to do any work for the member or his family in a personal capacity by anyone, including the member, his family, the campaign or the official office."
Leath said that despite registering to vote at the couple's address, he did not live with them. “I did not live with the congressman; I lived near there,” he said. “I lived a few houses down with a gentleman named Chuck McGill who lived in the neighborhood.” He added, "I just moved up to New York and tried to get my feet wet and hit the ground running with an adequate place to stay.”
“I didn’t have a physical address when I moved up to New York from Miami, Florida. When I first moved up there, I didn’t have a place yet, so I was scrambling looking for places,” Leath said. “I was staying with mutual friends, that’s all, until I found a place of my own.” He added that he did not perform anything “personal” and that “everything was related to work.”