Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells has become the third D.C. Council member to call on Councilman Harry Thomas to resign since Thomas agreed to pay the city back $300,000 he has been accused of stealing.
“After discussing the settlement of the civil suit filed against Council Member Harry Thomas Jr. with both D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan and the council member himself, I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Thomas needs to step down,” Wells wrote in a Monday night blog post. “I sincerely hope he will take this difficult step for the good of our city as well as the integrity of the council on which he serves.”
At-large Councilman David Catania became the first council member to call on Thomas to resign Friday evening, just hours after Thomas agreed to settle a lawsuit filed against by D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan. The settlement requires Thomas to pay the city back the $300,000 that Nathan’s lawsuit says he diverted to his wallet from a grant meant for youth baseball. Mary Cheh joined Catania’s call Saturday morning.
The council does not have the power to force Thomas from office. Instead, voters would have to recall him or he would have to be convicted of a felony. The U.S. Attorney’s office is investigating the allegations. Thomas’ attorney is setting up a legal defense fund so the Ward 5 councilman can pay his mounting attorney fees.
