A strong legacy of social activism and an outspoken political force has been challenged thanks to a major discovery from TheSmokingGun. Rev. Al Sharpton, the man who has sat in the Oval Office and has been a strong supporter of Barack Obama, has been revealed to have FBI ties during the 80′s.

According to the website, informant “CI-7″, also known as Sharpton, helped the NYPD and the bureau take down a number of associates in the Genovese mafioso family, during the 80′s and 90′s.  Using a tapped Hartmann briefcase, mobsters unknowingly spilled inside secrets that were then used to gain clearance to wire their social clubs, cars, and phones. Thanks to his information gathering, authorities were able to start their final push at the former boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante.

While the authorities tried exceptionally hard to hide Sharpton and his actions, but the Smoking Gun were able to sift through a number of documents and extensively interview those involved to finally get to the truth. In these official affidavits it was revealed that the Reverend was associating with four of the major five New York City families at the time, and that his action had a direct link to their take down.

It has been known that Rev. Sharpton had FBI ties, but this report shows that it was a much more extensive relationship than originally reported. What this information does to his legacy has yet to be seen. We will continue covering this story as things progress.

Jimi (@Nativejimi)