Federal prosecutors have opened a corruption investigation into Washington DC’s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser.
According to The New York Times, the investigation has been underway for several months.
The investigation is focused on Bowser’s $61,000 trip to Dubai for a UN Climate Change conference in 2023.
Bowser’s trip was reportedly paid for by Qatar.
Earlier this year 7News filed a FOIA request to uncover who paid for Bowser’s trip to Dubai and said there is no record of a donation agreement between DC and Qatar.
“Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the 7News I-Team has uncovered who paid for the mayor’s trip to Dubai in 2023, and it ended up costing a foreign country $61,930 in travel expenses, but the District has no record of how the expenses broke down for the mayor or four staff members,” 7News reported earlier this year.
“D.C. has no record of a Donation Agreement between the District and Qatar for the trip — which is required by D.C. Code,” 7News reported.
The Times reported that the probe may be based on “potential violations of bribery or campaign finance laws.”
The New York Times reported:
Federal prosecutors have opened a corruption investigation into Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington, examining a foreign trip she took with members of her staff that was paid for by Qatar, according to people familiar with the inquiry.
The investigation, which is being handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, has been underway for months, but could face significant hurdles because of the known facts of the case and recent turmoil inside the Justice Department.
This week, the F.B.I. agent who was leading the investigation was fired by the Trump administration for having taken part in a criminal inquiry into President Trump attempts to overturn the 2020 election
The public corruption unit inside the prosecutor’s office that would typically be responsible for pushing the case forward has also been badly damaged by a series of dismissals and resignations stemming from Mr. Trump’s efforts to seek revenge against Justice Department officials and his perceived enemies.
It remains unclear how far the investigation into Ms. Bowser, a Democrat who has served as Washington’s mayor since 2015, has advanced since it was opened. But the people familiar with the inquiry said it was based on potential violations of bribery or campaign finance laws. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment.
Bowser’s office denied any wrongdoing in a statement to WUSA9.
“This was a business trip. DC representatives regularly travel to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth. All proper paperwork for this standard donation is on file,” Bowser’s office said in a statement to WUSA9.
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