Three members of the D.C. Council have now called on Mayor Vincent Gray to resign from office. And if Gray persists in refusing to speak publicly about the campaign finance scandal that has now completely engulfed his administration, he probably should.
This week, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia revealed that Gray’s 2010 campaign was aided by an illegal $650,000 shadow campaign. The secret effort, allegedly financed by a businessman whose firm enjoyed a $300 million contract with the District of Columbia, furnished the official Gray campaign with canvassers, drivers, yard signs, T-shirts, hotel rooms, banners, posters, laptops, consultants and other supplies. Three of Gray’s former aides have now pleaded guilty to felonies related to that election.
It remains implausible — but not impossible — that Gray failed to notice all the extra campaign assets showing up on his doorstep during his heated race against incumbent Adrian Fenty. But District residents remain in the dark. Gray gave only the barest explanation earlier this week, and he refused to explain himself further to reporters on Thursday, in the wake of a damning Washington Post report that he had, in fact, known about the illegal campaign since at least January of this year.
Asked on Wednesday about the Justice Department’s investigation, and about when he first knew of the shadow campaign, Gray stonewalled: “That’s part of the investigation.” Those are the words of someone who knows he is a potential defendant, not the sort of thing one expects to hear from a conscientious public servant.
District residents have a right to honest government, and it has been in short supply lately. Gray needs to explain himself, if only because the city is effectively without a mayor right now. The only two ways to resolve this are to free himself from the scandal or else remove himself from office.
If Gray notified the authorities and tried to set things right upon discovering that a crime had taken place, he should make it clear now that he was on the side of the angels. If he did nothing — or worse, participated in a cover-up of these facts from the public — he is not worthy of the office he holds.
