NYPD sex crimes chief donated thousands to Trump after video scandal on grabbing women ‘by the p---y'With Rocco Parascandola, Nancy Dillon
NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Osgood donated close to $4,000 to Trump's campaign committees in 2016.
(James Keivom/New York Daily News)
Four days after President Trump was caught on tape boasting about grabbing women “by the p---y,” the high-profile head of the NYPD’s sex crimes division donated $500 to his campaign committee.
Deputy Chief Michael Osgood, commander of the Special Victims Division, went on to make 10 more contributions — a total of $2,810 over six weeks — to Trump’s campaign committees as the scandal over allegations that the candidate had groped multiple women intensified.
At the time, Osgood was overseeing the NYPD’s investigation into former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner’s creepy texting habits.
Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, was a close adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and the disclosures roiled Clinton’s campaign and aided Trump in his eventual victory.
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Osgood is respected by advocacy groups — just last week the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women went out of its way to laud his work, even as it was blasting the NYPD’s approach to some sex crimes and the need to bolster its unit with more investigations.
He also led an investigation in 2015 of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein after a model accused him of sexually assaulting her in his Tribeca office. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, in a controversial decision, decided not to prosecute.
There is nothing illegal with cops making campaign contributions — they fall squarely within an employee’s protected First Amendment rights and the NYPD does not monitor them, a police source said.
But Osgood’s donations don’t look good given his rank and command, according to a former high-ranking NYPD chief.
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“It’s certainly fair to inquire as to why someone who is supposed to be objective and is looking into improper acts of a Democrat overtly gives money to a Republican candidate with allegations of his own against him,” the retired NYPD chief said. “He’s acting way outside his purview and totally inappropriately.”
Women’s groups were outraged Monday over Osgood’s pro-Trump contributions.
“We find this disturbing,” Toni Van Pelt, national president of NOW, told the Daily News.
“How do women rely on the NYPD to protect them when a lead investigator is complicit in the actions of Donald Trump?” Van Pelt said.
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“He’s donating to a sexual predator at the same time he’s supposed to be protecting people,” she said. “The irony is not lost on NOW and our membership.”
Kylynn Grier of Girls for Gender Equity, a member of Communities United for Police Reform, slammed it as being “emblematic of the larger problem” of how the NYPD handles sexual assault cases.
“How can women in New York trust that the NYPD will take their complaints about sexual violence seriously when the commanding officer of the unit handling them has politically exposed himself to dismiss such serious issues of sexual assault?” Grier said.
Monifa Bandele, senior vice president at MomsRising, called Osgood’s actions “deeply troubling” and “raises serious questions about systemic issues with how the NYPD views sexual violence.”
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The NYPD defended the Special Victims Division late Monday, without mentioning Osgood by name.
“No other police department in the country approaches the NYPD’s capacity to investigate and prosecute sex crimes. Each borough has dedicated squads to rigorously investigate adult sex crimes, and SVD detectives are highly trained. Commissioner (James) O’Neill is now strengthening this ability by creating a new 16-investigator cold-case squad . . . to relentlessly pursue unsolved cases.”
Multiple attempts to reach Osgood by phone and at his home were unsuccessful.
Trump was captured in 2005 on a microphone making offensive statements about women while preparing for an appearance on “Days of Our Lives” with “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush and actress Arianne Zucker. The existence of the tape was revealed on Oct. 8, 2016.
“I just start kissing them ... I don’t even wait,” Trump says on the “Access Hollywood” tape. “And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p---y. You can do anything.”
In all, 16 women have accused Trump of misconduct ranging from leering to groping to sexual abuse. Trump has denied the charges.
Osgood made the $500 contribution to DJT for President on Oct. 12, 2016, federal campaign finance records show.
A flood of contributions from Osgood to Trump committees followed, including $600 to the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and $480 to DJT for President in four donations on Oct. 20, and $400 on Oct. 27 to Trump MAGA.
Osgood began donating to Trump committees on Aug. 4, 2016, with a $480 contribution. That Aug. 28, the shocking picture of Weiner in his underwear with an erection, next to his sleeping son, emerged.
On Aug. 31, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League filed a formal complaint against Weiner with the city Administration for Children’s Services. On Sept. 15, the Daily Mail reported Weiner had been sexting with a 15-year-old girl. On Sept. 21, the NYPD Special Victims Division opened its investigation.
Osgood made four contributions totaling $958 to the Trump campaign between Oct. 1, 2016, and Oct. 7, records show.
The existence of the “Access Hollywood” tape was revealed and then Osgood made his series of donations to Trump’s committees.
Osgood’s spending spree for Trump is unusual, according to his history of campaign contributions. He has made just one contribution of $250, to a candidate running for state office: Joan Illuzzi for Staten Island district attorney, records show.
He has made no contributions to city candidates, records show.
When Weiner was sentenced on Sept. 25, 2017, the U.S. attorney singled out the Special Victims Division for “outstanding work.”
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