Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. says he’s agreed to pay the city $300,000 as part of a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General because he wants what’s best for the city—not because he deliberately did anything wrong.

“As I have stated before, the allegations in the Attorney General’s complaint about there being no service provided and a purposeful misuse of any funds are not true. That is why the settlement does not have any agreement of wrongdoing,” Thomas says in a statement issued from his office.

The worst that Thomas cops to is not managing an unnamed “organization” with the same “discipline and strenuous rigors” that Thomas has when he’s coaching and mentoring the city’s youth. “It is not uncommon for grantees, including DC agencies receiving federal funds, to have expenditures disallowed,” Thomas says.

LL will breakdown this monumentally lame whitewash attempt next week. For now, here’s Thomas’ full statement:

Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. today issued the following statement regarding the settlement agreement he has reached with the Office of the Attorney General:

“Serving as the Councilman for Ward 5 residents is my greatest honor. In an effort to continue to focus on my most important goals – improving the lives of my constituents in Ward 5 and the residents of Washington, DC — I have agreed to a settlement. I feel this is in the best interest of the city.

I have committed my life to teaching life skills to children through sports and athletic competition. The discipline and strenuous rigors that I teach through coaching and mentoring were lacking in the management of the organization.

As I have stated before, the allegations in the Attorney General’s complaint about there being no service provided and a purposeful misuse of any funds are not true. That is why the settlement does not have any agreement of wrongdoing.

It is not uncommon for grantees, including DC agencies receiving federal funds, to have expenditures disallowed. It is my desire to move forward with the disposition of this matter in a way that will cause the least disruption to my family and my constituency, and that will save the DC government and its citizens the time and expense of litigation, as well.

I appreciate the trust the citizens have placed in me during these allegations. I have used my role as councilmember to tend to the needs and interests of those who I have the privilege to serve. These actions are being taken to ensure that the trust the public has placed in me is maintained and honored.”