Anthony D'Esposito, former Hempstead councilman and Long Island congressman, nominated to be inspector general for federal Labor Department

President Donald Trump has nominated former Long Island Rep. Anthony D’Esposito to serve as inspector general for the Department of Labor.

D’Esposito, (R-Island Park), served one term as congressman for Long Island’s 4th District, including Nassau County’s South Shore. He was defeated in November by Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre).

The former NYPD detective served seven years as a Hempstead Town councilman.

"It's an honor to be nominated by President Trump to serve as the inspector general of the Department of Labor," D'Esposito, 43, said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing my service to the people of our great country in this new role."

The inspector general position was created in 1978, according to the Department of Labor, "to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of, and to prevent and detect fraud and abuse."

His nomination will be sent for approval to the U.S. Senate.

"Anthony D'Esposito is an ideal choice for the position of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Labor," Nassau County Republican chairman Joseph Cairo said in a statement.  "Taxpayers and those committed to good government can rest assured that Anthony D'Esposito will make sure that waste, fraud and abuse have no home in the Department of Labor."

Trump fired 17 independent inspector generals, five days after taking office, without giving the required 30-day notice to Congress, The Associated Press reported.

Nassau County and state Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said D'Esposito's qualifications for the post were questionable and argued he had no experience in addressing labor issues. 

"That's putting the fox in charge of the hen house if there ever was one," Jacobs said. " It's clear their goal of eliminating waste has been anything but efficient."

“If the Administration wants to cut waste, fraud, and abuse at the Department of Labor, it’s shocking they would nominate someone who has abused every single position of power he’s ever held to oversee that process," Gillen said in a statement. 

The last labor inspector general, Larry Turner, was appointed by President Joe Biden. He oversaw an "annual budget of $97 million and a staff of more than 350 criminal investigators, auditors, attorneys and experts," according to his official biography.

Trump had appeared with D’Esposito during rallies last year at the Nassau Coliseum and Madison Square Garden, before the election.

Following his defeat in last year’s election, D’Esposito was a vocal supporter of Trump, appearing on radio programs and the right wing channel Newsmax, defending Trump’s agenda in his first 100 days.

D’Esposito had lobbied to become the Drug Enforcement Agency administrator and was endorsed by several law enforcement organizations for that position. But on March 13, Trump instead nominated Terrance C. Cole, the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety.

D’Esposito could face questions in his confirmation hearing about The New York Times report that he hired his longtime fiancée’s daughter and a woman with whom he was reported to be having an affair to work in his district office on Long Island.

In Congress, D’Esposito was best known for being the first to demand that then-Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) resign or be ousted for falsifying his resume and activities that led to a federal indictment and a damning House Ethics Committee report.

In the House, D’Esposito served on three House committees, including Homeland Security, Administration, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

In 2006, D’Esposito began his 14-year career with the New York Police Department, in which he served as a police officer and later a detective before retiring in 2020.

He entered into politics in 2016 when he was appointed to be a councilman on the Hempstead Town council. He won a second term in 2017.

On March 5, Modern Fortis, a federal and state governmental affairs firm, announced that D'Esposito would join the firm as a special advisor to provide advice on public safety, law enforcement technology, and initiatives on safety and security.