The District of Columbia’s representative to Congress says her city’s Mayor ought to try and put an end to a brewing scandal involving thousands of dollars his campaign staff allegedly took from city contractors.
A federal probe into D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s 2010 campaign has so far found that aides to Gray (D) failed to disclose roughly $650,000 in contributions from “shadow” donors that helped propel the candidate to victory over incumbent Adrian Fenty. One consultant who worked for Gray pleaded guilty this week to that charge.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that Gray learned about the violations back in January.
The investigation and subsequent reports have prompted three city council members to call on Gray to resign from office. The Mayor, however, has claimed that he was unaware of the donations, and told reporters on Wednesday that he has no plans to step down.
In a statement on Thursday, D.C. Delegate Elanor Holmes Norton (D) advised Gray, whom she considers a friend and an ally, “to clear this matter up quickly.”
Here’s Norton’s full statement:
“Vincent Gray is a friend of longstanding who I have always known to have high professional and ethical standards. However, the criminal conduct by his campaign aides revealed in court is deeply disturbing and goes to the heart of the democratic process. Mayor Gray has an obligation to clear this matter up quickly. “Nevertheless, I have seen no evidence that the investigation has affected District matters pending in Congress, nor should it. We have been fully able to process our business through the House and Senate, including some difficult matters. Cities and states across the country have faced similar investigations, and like the District, they have moved to address them.”
