Former LI Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, nominee for inspector general for Labor Department, grilled on plans to regain seat

Former Long Island Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Thursday declined to tell a Senate committee whether he will run in 2026 for the congressional seat he lost last year.

Pressed on that topic multiple times by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), D’Esposito repeatedly dodged giving a direct answer, at one point saying, "Having discussions about the future are questions that I can’t answer."

D’Esposito, nominated in March by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Labor Department’s inspector general, was appearing before the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, along with a panel of other Trump nominees.

The one-term congressman was defeated in November by Rep. Laura Gillen, (D-Rockville Centre). Two years earlier, the former New York City police officer and Hempstead Town council member had defeated Gillen in what was then an open-seat race for New York’s Nassau County based 4th Congressional District.

D’Esposito, 43, could not be reached Thursday after the hearing regarding the questions abut his future. Independent political analysts say the district will remain one of the nation’s most competitive in 2026 — and could be crucial to deciding which party will control the House majority.

A Gillen spokesman had no immediate comment.

Some Republicans have said that — quite the opposite of placing him on the electoral sidelines — gaining the Labor Department post could put D’Esposito in a better position for a bid to win back his former congressional seat next year.

During the hearing, Blumenthal, grilled the former congressman about whether he will run in 2026, saying at one point he was "eager" to have D’Esposito’s commitment that he will not be a candidate for Congress, if he is confirmed to the Labor Department post.

"Right now, senator, my focus is on being confirmed to serve as inspector general of the United States Labor Department," D’Esposito said. Asked the same question again by Blumenthal, he again said his focus was on the inspector general post.

Blumenthal, at one point, held up what he described as "screen shots" from D’Esposito’s congressional campaign website, that Blumenthal characterized as advertisements for a congressional campaign. In fact, they appeared to be reelect D’Esposito ads.

D’Esposito acknowledged his website is "still active," but said there has been no fundraising "or anything done with the committee." Blumenthal pressed D’Esposito about a Newsday story in October in which he declined to say whether he would run again next year against Gillen. D’Esposito said that story was accurate.

A date for when the full Senate will vote on D’Esposito’s nomination to be the Labor Department’s top internal watchdog has not been set.

Also at the hearing, a Washington-based good government group submitted a statement committee urging the committee to reject D’Esposito’s nomination to be inspector general because his "background and track record indicate that he lacks the ethical fortitude to carry out this responsibility."

The statement was submitted by Donald Sherman, CREW’s Executive Director and Chief Counsel Donald Sherman and raised a number of issues.