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Rev. Al Sharpton Shows Support For De Blasio Amid Campaign Finance Probe

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio got a friendly reception from Rev. Al Sharpton's after making a stop at the activist's National Action Network in Midtown on Saturday.

Speaking at the National Action Network, Sharpton expressed support for the mayor, who is currently under federal investigation for potential violations in campaign finance practices.

"I've known Bill de Blasio for 25 years," Sharpton said. "And he's operated with integrity,"

Sharpton later added he will not react to "rumors and innuendo" surrounding the probe and will instead "see what happens."

Though not outright addressing the probe, de Blasio did speak of progress, 1010 WINS Roger Stern reported.

"The voices of the status quo find many, many ways to undermine progress to stand in the way of progress," de Blasio said.

"We will not be held back," he added.

The main investigation into team de Blasio, jointly run by the U.S. attorney's office for New York's Southern District and by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr., is examining de Blasio's efforts to help Democrats win the state Senate in 2014 and whether donors to his campaign or the Campaign for One New York nonprofit received city benefits in exchange for donations.

Probers are seeking to investigate charges that team de Blasio sought to evade individual campaign limits of $10,300 by having donors make big donations to local county committees, which in turn earmarked and funneled the money to specific candidates. Such methods are against the law.

Probers were also looking at how team de Blasio raised cash for the 2013 mayoral campaign, raising questions on possible pay-to-play donations and whether de Blasio used so-called "straw donors" – involving using another person's money to make a contribution in one's own name.

De Blasio has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said he and his team did not violate any campaign finance laws.

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