 Around the time of the nomination for Henry Clay, an Empire club member was supposed to have been offered $2,000 to bring himself and McCleester, Manny Kelly, Bill Ford, Mike Philips and Dave Scandlin over to the rival Anti-immigrant, anti-Irish, and anti-Catholic Whig Unionist Club.It was hoped that McCleester and the others would be able to bolster support for the Whigs, but the offer was refused.Involved in graft, corruption and election fraud in Manhattan's Sixth Ward during the 1840s and 50s, later to become known as the Tweed Ring, McCleester was one of several lieutenants to Isaiah Rynders, along with Dirty Face Jack, Edward Z.C.