Federal authorities looking at accusations of impropriety by the Gray for Mayor campaign might mean more trouble for a fledgling administration that must quickly move to set a new course or potentially risk losing its way entirely, experts said. Earlier this week, the U.S. attorney’s office would only say that it was taking accusations by former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown seriously. Now, however, the office says its working with the FBI to “assess” Brown’s claims that Gray for Mayor campaign Chairwoman Lorraine Green and campaign consultant Howard Brooks passed Brown envelopes stuffed with cash so he could stay on the campaign trail. There has been no evidence yet uncovered that any federal laws were violated and Green and Brooks have both denied the accusation.
The U.S. attorney’s newest position means there “is enough evidence publicly available for a preliminary inquiry,” said Joe diGenova, a former U.S. attorney for D.C. FBI agents will look at the existing evidence and the U.S. attorney’s office will look at the applicable statutes, he said. “It should not take too long to assess whether there is enough evidence for a criminal investigation,” diGenova said.
