June 20, 2013

D.C. Councilman Jim Graham says he's not resigning after ethics slam

BY: ALAN BLINDER FEBRUARY 8, 2013 | 3:50 PM
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D.C. Councilman Jim Graham said Friday that he would not leave office after the city's ethics board said there was evidence he had violated the District's code of conduct.

"I am not resigning," the Ward 1 lawmaker said in a statement. "There has been no allegations or suggestion that a crime has been committed."

Graham's statement came about 24 hours after the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability said it had "substantial evidence" that Graham had acted improperly.

Using the findings of an investigation commissioned by Metro, the panel said Graham offered to link his vote on the city's $38 million lottery contract to a deal for a development on land owned by the transit agency.

Graham was simultaneously serving as a member of the D.C. Council and Metro's board.

Despite its allegations against Graham, the ethics board said it would not move ahead with a formal investigation because it lacked the ability to punish the lawmaker.

Although a federal investigation of the lottery contract is ongoing, Graham's lawyer has said Graham is not a target of the probe.

ablinder@washingtonexaminer.com

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Alan Blinder

Staff Reporter, D.C. City Hall
The Washington Examiner

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