De Blasio to skip Hillary Clinton campaign-launch rally

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he won't be attending Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign-launch rally Saturday in New York City.

He added that he is still not ready to endorse his former boss, the front-running Democratic candidate. "I think it's best to hear the ideas and then make a decision," he said.

"I've been very impressed by the comments she's given so far on a host of issues," de Blasio said at an unrelated event in the Bronx, ticking off Clinton's recent speeches on voting rights, criminal justice and immigration. "What I am waiting to hear about is the fight against income inequality, how we raise wages and benefits, how we create the progressive taxation system we need."

The mayor also complimented a competitor for the Democratic nomination on Clinton's left.

"I've always liked what I've heard from Bernie Sanders," he said, calling the Vermont senator a "great voice for a fairer society and a fairer economy."

Spokesmen for Clinton did not respond to messages for comment.

Clinton is to formally launch her 2016 bid for president with a rally at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. De Blasio was manager of her successful 2000 campaign for U.S. Senate.