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Peduto To Release Names Of Donors Of Money He Awarded On "Undercover Boss"

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- On the CBS reality show "Undercover Boss," Mayor Bill Peduto handed out $155,000 to city employees he encountered when he went undercover.

It's called the reveal.

Peduto: "You will be receiving $10,000 to help with her most pressing needs."

Peduto: "You're going to be getting a check for $20,000."

Peduto: "My friends want to invest $20,000 to build your church."

It's often the most dramatic part of the show, as one employee shouted, "Thank you, Jesus."

But in the aftermath, some asked who are these "friends" of Peduto, and are they getting something in return from the city?

"They would rather remain anonymous, but if for full disclosure that information needs to be out, we'll certainly make it part of being out," responded Peduto to a question from KDKA political editor Jon Delano. "They did it for the goodness of their heart."

Peduto says the donors get nothing in return.

Delano: "How can you guarantee that there's no quid pro quo?"

Peduto: "I don't think that any politician can ever. I've been a part of raising close to a million dollars this year."

Peduto says he often raises money for charities.

"If I can raise money to help worthy causes and worthy institutions, I'm going to do it. That's part of my job. Many politicians just do it to raise money for their political campaigns."

But this involved city employees and a city agency -- the Urban Redevelopment Authority -- to collect and distribute the donated money.

"We need to make sure that this kind of thing does not happen in the future without proper documentation and proper checks," insisted Barry Kauffman of Common Cause PA.

But is this much ado about nothing.

"Nobody had questions when we did our fundraising for Officer Rocco," noted the mayor. "Now all of a sudden it's 'what's he trying to hide.' So I guess I was kind of caught off guard, but maybe next time we just got to make sure all the work is done at the beginning.

And that means making public the donors.

Delano: "When precisely, Mayor, will you be releasing the names of the donors?"

Peduto: "The earliest case would be - we would be able to have information by tomorrow."

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