Five investigations involving Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration or his 2010 campaign have been started since the beginning of March. The scandals have cut Gray’s approval rating to 31 percent, according to a recent poll by Clarus Research Group. The legislative branch has been in the same funky soup: Two agencies are probing the actions of Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. The Office of Campaign Finance is examining Council Chairman Kwame Brown’s handling of a quarter-million dollars in contributions during two previous campaigns. Brown’s approval rating, according to Clarus, is at 27 percent.
Other legislators, including Michael A. Brown and Marion Barry, have been accused of violating the city’s code of conduct that mandates employees, including elected officials, refrain from engaging in activities that “would adversely affect the confidence of the public in the integrity of the District government.”
