D.C. Councilman David Catania said a former top official in the Gray administration committed perjury during a council hearing Friday.
Former human resources director Judy Banks was the sole witness in the third council hearing on hiring and salary decisions by the Gray administration. Catania made his perjury comment as Banks continued to stand by testimony that conflicts with the testimony of other witnesses and e-mail records.
In March, Banks testified under oath that fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe “came to me and told me that he would like to hire Brandon Webb,” the son of the then-director of the department of employment services Rochelle Webb.
Rochelle Webb and Ellerbe, however, have since testified that it was Banks who played the middleman between Rochelle Webb and Ellerbe in finding Brandon Webb a job. A string of e-mails shows that Rochelle Webb contacted Banks in January and asked her to find Brandon Webb a job.
“I’m on it,” Banks replied. When Webb asked Banks where her son might be placed, Banks responded “I need to figure that out,” the e-mails show.
But on Friday, Banks said, “my testimony remains that Chief Ellerbe came to me about hiring Brandon Webb.” She said she didn’t recall the e-mails.
“You have perjured yourself,” Catania said.
Councilwoman Mary Cheh gave Banks one last opportunity to change her testimony at the end of Friday’s hearing, telling Banks she could go back and correct her testimony in writing if Banks saw fit. The official record remains open as long as the hearings continue.
“I don’t want to play a gotcha here,” Cheh told reporters after Friday’s hearing.
