Hearing on hiring turns contentious
Sulaimon Brown testified under oath before a D.C. Council committee Monday, accusing Mayor Vincent Gray of purchasing his loyalty in last fall’s campaign with money and a job.
He didn’t seem to convince his inquisitors.
“As evidenced by the fact that he’s wearing sunglasses, I don’t think he’s come with the greatest spirit of cooperation,” said at large Councilman David Catania during a recess in the nearly five-hour hearing.
Catania said the only evidence that Brown’s allegations were true was the job given to Brown by the Gray administration, but said there was no conclusive proof that linked the job offer to Gray himself.
Brown, who said he was wearing his “Mauis” to hide his sleepiness from photographers, told Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh’s committee that Gray himself offered him a job at his inauguration and that Gray’s aides had paid Brown more than $1,000 throughout the campaign to attack then-Mayor Adrian Fenty. Brown held up copies of money orders and receipts and read text messages throughout the hearing to support his allegations.
The contentious hours were filled with interruptions and personal accusations, as well as a bit of cursing.
“You’re out of your [—]damn mind,” Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry told Brown after the one-time mayoral candidate accused the entire council of being under investigation at some point.
Brown called the hearing a “witch hunt,” a cry taken up by a woman who was forcibly removed by security officers from the hearing after her second outburst.
Catania said the investigation was starting to be a waste of time and energy.
“I don’t think we’re ever really going to know what happened,” he said. “Unless he has more tricks up his sleeve, unless he has more document he wants to show, I think this chapter is over.”
Cheh recessed the hearing, indicating that another could be scheduled with more witnesses. She said she might call Peyton Brooks, who donated to Brown’s campaign and is the son of Gray aide Howard Brooks, to testify.
Brown’s testimony comes at a tough time for the city’s top elected officials. His accusations have led to two federal investigations into the Gray administration and the Gray for Mayor campaign.
On Monday, Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. was sued by the D.C. attorney general for allegedly funneling more than $300,000 in city money through various nonprofit organizations that he then used to buy a vehicle and take trips.
The FBI says it is investigating Thomas, too. Council Chairman Kwame Brown is also under investigation by the Office of Campaign Finance for allegedly mishandling campaign cash.
