‘Roosevelt at campaign contributions investigation (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’
Council Chair Vincent Gray has announced that the City Council will be investigating the contract given to Donna Watts-Brighthaupt by Marion Barry in the amount of $60,000, as to whether it was properly awarded. This is a bit of a backtrack for the council, as Gray had earlier said he wasn’t sure if the council had the authority to investigate Barry’s contract. The council will be retaining an outside law firm to conduct the investigation and make recommendations to the council regarding the status of the contract.
I was talking with a friend last night, and both of us were wondering if this would finally be the scandal to sink Marion Barry. Each of us wondered if there wasn’t a trail of these kinds of contracts through the last decade or so of Barry’s public service, and that this might be the final nail in the coffin. I think that, for as long as Marion Barry’s been around, he might get a slap on the wrist, because you don’t have such a long career here without knowing just how to play something like this. My friend made a valid point that it seems that a number of Republican governors could learn from Marion Barry’s scandal-handling techniques. I couldn’t agree more, the guy is a master at scandal operations.
Photo from LOC, because who doesn’t think that Teddy Roosevelt wouldn’t be an awesome investigator in this case?