Fenty Frat Scandal Not So Scandalous, According to Report
A report on the controversial D.C. parks contracts that played a role in last year's mayoral campaign will exonerate former Mayor Adrian Fenty of any wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the document.
The D.C. Council engaged attorney Robert Trout to investigate whether the contracts were improperly awarded to Fenty's fraternity brothers Omar Karim and Sinclair Skinner.
"Our investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on the part of the mayor and we found that the DPR capital funds were not transferred for the purpose of avoiding council oversight," the report says, according to one of the sources who have read it.
The report does indicate that further investigation of Karim and Skinner's activities is warranted.
The Council is to vote this morning on whether to release the report.
Update: You can read all 258 pages of the report here.
10:42 am
So, keep it moving... how about Mayor Gray's activities so far?? Any wrongdoings?
11:00 am
Everyone knew this was a witch hunt engaged by the council to throw dirt on Fenty's name during the elections. Love him or hate him, the man helped move the District forward by supporting more of a private sector approach to government.
I'll be curious to see how much scrutiny Gray endures from the likes of Cheh, Thomas and K. Brown. If Cheh's preliminary investigation of staff salary is any indication, there won't be much scrutiny. I've been disappointed by politics for a while now, but D.C. politics have provided a completely different level of disappointment.
11:04 am
Take HOME RULE from DC and put 3 Commissioners back into place as they did when I was a child.
11:14 am
I don't like Fenty or Gray. They both suck as people/politicians and they are corrupt.
11:20 am
"Our investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on the part of the mayor and we found that the DPR capital funds were not transferred for the purpose of avoiding council oversight,"
AHH HELLO. FENTY WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY FOOLISH AND RETARDED TO HAVE ACTUALLY LEAVE ANY SORT OF PAPER OR TECHNOLOGICAL TRAIL THAT WOULD LINK HIM TO THIS OBVIOUS WORK AROUND.
11:41 am
Yes, there's no evidence of corruption. But who needs evidence when you just really, really know in your heart that Dr Evil is a bad, bad man?!?
People get the government they deserve.
11:47 am
Noodlez - haven't you been the one calling fenty foolish (at best) from the beginning?
I'll now go back to ignoring you, just wanted to point that out.
ONE CITY, down the tubes.
11:52 am
Let's elect Charlie Sheen as the next mayor of Washington, D.C.
I don't think Charlie Sheen can do any worse than arrogant ass Adrian Fenty and Frankenstein looking Vince Gray.
11:54 am
@noodlez Give it a rest. This same procurement process has been used for years in the District. Apparently the same thing was done on the Eastern Market Rehab but you don't hear anything about that. Why? Because this was ALL about votes. They had everything they needed last June but waited because this was an attack on Fenty & they knew they would've looked like idiots releasing this before the primary. Fenty is gone & doing things on the National level. Whether I like it or not we are stuck with his replacement(the pushover with sloppy corrupt friends).
Also, remove the word "FENTY" & replace it with "GRAY" in your message. Could the same thing apply in his current events? Or are you too much of a Gray fan to admit it?
11:57 am
Winning! Duh?
1:03 pm
Wow. What a shock.
How much did this taxpayer-funded smear cost?
I'd love to know. As much as the renovation of a playground or a nice little pocket park? As much as VG's private lawyer bills to Bennet will?
1:42 pm
No wrong doing on Fenty's part, too bad the lies were used to discredit his run for office. Now we are stuck with the Gray jerk who CLAIMED integrity but has no idea what the word means. Gray has wasted more DC tax money and he has not even been in office 6 months. Cheh needs to get a backbone and roll back those Gray over the top salaries, stop the Gray expenditures on auto leases and generally get the fool in line.
1:53 pm
This came out weeks before the election but Gray and company continued their "attack on croynism." This is what happens when you don't vote for results and go along with rhetoric. Alas here is Gray, not even 100 days into his administration, failing the city. Once a failed executive... When the blunders of his tenure at DHS came to life, people said let's give Gray a chance. If you want chance, play lotto.
3:18 pm
@Tim-I DONT HAVE TO GIVE IT A REST THE VOTERS ALREADY DID!
THEY LAID FAGGIE FENTY'S ASS TO REST BECAUSE THEY DIDNT NEED SOMEONE TO CONVINCE THEM THAT HE IS A CORRUPT CLUELESS CLOWN!
WAS DUMB (KARIM) AND DUMBER (SKINNER) INVOLVED WITH THE EASTERN MARKET REHAB? WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS. THE ISSUE HERE IS NON-QUALIFIED FOLK MIDDLE-MANNING WORK THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN INVOVED IN AT ANY LEVEL LET ALONE FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY REC'D.
3:24 pm
@Rake-WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
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@Drez-SO YOU SAYING DC COULD'VE USE THAT $400K THAT WAS SPENT ON THE SHIT PARK TO PAY FOR FAGGIE FENTY'S FUCK UP?
3:30 pm
The city has 400k dog parks but not one park for young people riding skateboards and skates on the sidewalks and stairways in Downtown D.C.
3:42 pm
Uhhh, DC Rez, there is a skatepark located under 395 right near results gym on Cap. Hill...
3:42 pm
And another one by the old O St. market, btw, DC Rez.
4:44 pm
And the one near O Street is going to get a nice upgrade, or at least was under the last administration.
4:45 pm
noodlez
I seem to recall you used to have a sense of humor. What happened?
5:18 pm
I must say, having worked for DPR, noodlez nailed it: The process was finessed, but the issues of questionable qualifications and excessive costs remain.....
5:24 pm
@noodlez: Correct! The issue the whole time with Skinner and Karim was their unnecessary participation to begin with. They collected big bucks for minimal, if any, work.
6:13 pm
Vincent Gray can not process the TAX REFUND checks.
6:26 pm
@noodlez, you said it all!
7:29 pm
@Drez-I THINK YOUR MAMA HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
IT WAS A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE:)
7:39 pm
Just like George Jefferson....movin on up. From living on top of a dry cleaners to living on the Gold Coast. Hmmmm I have to read the report, but does it discuss how the guy from the housing authority was removed to make way for Omar and Karmin to get the contract in the first place?
9:05 pm
noodlez
My mama? Really?
10:06 pm
IT'S A RECESSION. THAT'S ALL I GOT!
11:10 pm
Does the report say anything about the role of Carlos Gray in the contracts? I don't think Gray's son is a bad guy but it's kind of sad that nobody talked about his role although he was a contractor manager at Housing Authority. DREZ, do you know?
11:21 pm
AF needs to count his blessing that this report was conducted strictly the presidence of his actions and nothing else. Trout obviously saw enough crap to make the suggestions that he did. I personally didn't want to see Adrian go to jail but, I knew he had to stop that Gestapo bullsh*t. Especially when he know's how much of a pu##y he really is, real men don't have to do that.
12:18 am
Excuse me new residents of a light persuasion,understand your history. if your white forefathers were doing such a great job why did they not push statehood for dc? Reason they wanted a plantatation for the white congressmen and senators. they were no better than the current elected officials at least these officials are from dc and not some transplants like yourself who will move to va when your houses are no longer underwater. Stop feeling so entitled and understad true dc residents can run their city w/o your interferene. Also you can always take the 14th street bridge to your loving conservatives in va who will make your pseudo liberal lives miserable
12:28 am
noodlez
Don't worry. My mom's tough but still loving at heart. You'll be able to rest easy eventually- your tender behind will heal some day.
You naughty boy, you.
8:47 am
The only politician that I haven't regretted voting for in the District was former Mayor Anthony Williams. I even wrote his name in the second time.
It was the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development in the Fenty Admministration, Neil Albert, that 'illegally' shifted the public funds that underwrote the contracts granted to Fenty's cronies through the D.C. Housing Authority. Then Attorney General, Peter Nickles, said, both. that the contracts granted in excess of a million dollars without Council approval were 'illegal' AND that the Council must retroactively approve them. So much for the best interest of the citizens.
I do find it enlightening that the report encourages the U.S. Attorney's office to probe the business dealings of Skinner/Karim. Who knows where a criminal probe of the Justice Department following the money trail will end.
Do tell Holder...
9:29 am
@Anothernative, I believe you meant (prcedence), it's an honest mistake, everyone make typo's.
10:41 am
@Drez-YOU FLIPPED THAT SHIT LIKE EMINEM DID IN THE LAST SCENE OF 8 MILE AND BECAUSE OF THAT IMA LET YOU HAVE THE LAST WORD.
TRES ESTRELLAS. DOS RAYAS. UNA CIUDAD.
11:18 am
“…Fenty passed the contract through the housing authority to avoid the city's slow-moving bureaucracy.”
Note well that part of the “slow-moving bureaucracy” includes the established internal controls intended to properly examine procurements. Issues such as vendor selection, legitimacy of the need driving the purchase, and the capacity of the selected vendor (contract awardee) to actually perform the services/goods detailed in the contract are addressed during this process. This article appears to suggest the report looks askance to the Mayor’s efforts to subvert the normal procurement procedures! Please note that the Mayor is the city’s chief executive sworn, at least in part, to uphold the laws of the District of Columbia!
11:22 am
I don't know why Fenty gets a pass on his "associates" and Gray doesn't. I think to be fair, the press should treat each of these Mayors equally. Thus, you are a bad mayor because you have some bad friends and employees, or you are a good mayor until someone catches you with your hand in the till, regardless of what your friends and employees do.
The Posts handling of the S. Brown story and the Bannaker Venture story prove my point. Gray is chided for not knowing what all his employees are doing and who gets hired etc. But Fenty is cleared despite the fact that at the very least, his administration exhibit a profound lack of control and accountability when issuing contracts.
11:37 am
Terry, we only have one mayor at a time, in case you haven't noticed. The current Mayor is Vince Gray. Hence, his idiocy is exposed. Sorry if that bothers you.
Who knows, maybe Bennett will be able to get Vince out of his investigation with flying colors and he'll get a pass as well...
11:45 am
Well said Terry. I'm jumped on the bandwagon criticizing Gray's poor decisions these last few weeks, but am constantly surprised by the hypocrisy surrounding die-hard Fentites (Drez, Truth Hurts, etc.), who so blindly defend Fenty, a man with such questionable ethics. This report might not link Fenty to any wrongdoing, but it does implicate that Skinner and Karim did. So, regardless of how "vindicated" Fenty is because of this, the taint is still there. His two closest friends, neither of whom had any experience prior to him being elected, becomes the leading developers in the City after he is. A blind man can see the truth, even you Drez.
6:31 pm
One City, full of one cidiots dumb enough to believe Gray's accusations (and dumb enough to elect Gray as mayor).
"Fenty engaged in no wrongdoing", concludes the report. Hey, maybe Trout's part of the conspiracy. Pass it on, one cidiots.
12:05 am
Fenty is not out of the woods. The story could easily change when the U.S. Attorney gets starts investigating.
12:06 am
I meant to say. ... When the U.S. Attorney starts his investigation.
9:03 pm
Southeast Ken, Charlie Sheen has a penchant for those big rocks. Do you think that would sit well with Mr. Barry?