Usually, when news breaks that House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has opened an investigation into a leader of government in Washington, you can expect it to be about President Obama. Yesterday, however, it was about D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray.
Yesterday, Issa launched an official probe into allegations by fired government employee and former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown, who claims he received money from Gray’s campaign and was promised a job in exchange for waging attacks against then-Mayor Adrian Fenty, the Washington Post reports.
“As the Chairman of the Committee with direct responsibility for overseeing the District of Columbia, I was deeply concerned by allegations made by a former mayoral candidate and political appointee of D.C. mayor Vincent Gray,” Issa said in a statement obtained by National Journal. “Even after the Home Rule Act, the federal government still has significant responsibilities and federal taxpayer dollars fund a large portion of the District’s budget.”
Gray’s office released a statement saying he is not worried about the investigation, but will cooperate.
“Congressional involvement is not likely to illuminate any additional issues or information,” the statement said. “Although the mayor, in his support for the autonomy of the District of Columbia, does not encourage congressional oversight of city matters, he and his administration will cooperate fully with this investigation.”
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