The District prepaid about $17,000 on the two Lincoln Navigators leased at the request of D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown, two D.C. government sources with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Washington Examiner. The Attorney General’s Office has canceled both leases, but is now negotiating to get back some of the cash the city already paid for the sport utility vehicle, the sources said. Brown has been entangled in a scandal involving the Lincoln Navigators since it was revealed last week that he ordered one SUV in December only to return it because he disliked the interior color. He then requested a second to replace it. The first Navigator, however, didn’t go back to the leasing company. Instead, it became a backup SUV for the mayor. Brown asked both to be returned last week.
“It’s not unheard of for prepayments to take place on contracts,” one source said. “What’s unusual in this case is that the pre-payment was made on a lease.”
The source said the city might have received a price break by making a prepayment, although that remains unclear and officials are still trying to determine the details of the Department of Public Works’ decision-making process. The department leased the first Navigator for $1,769 a month and the second for $1,963 a month.
Public works spokeswoman Linda Grant declined to comment. The Examiner requested information regarding the prepayment from her on Tuesday.
The Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday, Brown told The Examiner that he knew nothing about the acquisition costs for the Navigators.
Earlier this week, Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells released a report that said the D.C. government has routinely violated city law by buying and leasing SUVs over the past seven years. A law that went into effect in 2004 makes it illegal for the District to buy SUVs unless they’re being used for security or emergency purposes. That makes legal a “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigator leased for the mayor at the cost of $1,941 a month.
Wells is waiting for more information from DPW on the city’s car buying and leasing process.
