D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson has joined the list of elected officials whose campaigns have been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury regarding a wide-ranging probe into election finances in the District.
Mendelson, an at-large council member, said he learned Wednesday afternoon that the treasurers of his 2006 and 2010 re-election campaign committees were served with subpoenas from the Office of the United States Attorney.
“I have been asked to produce documents related to campaign fundraising and contributions related to Mr. Jeffrey Thompson,” Mendelson said in a statement. “I will of course produce whatever is requested by the U.S. [attorney].”
The Washington Examiner and other news outlets on Tuesday reported that several subpoenas had been issued to council members requesting documents related to Thompson — a prolific contributor to D.C. campaigns — as well as general campaign finance documents.
Mendelson added that Thompson solicited campaign contributions on the councilman’s behalf in September 2010.
“On or about September 12th I received 15 checks: seven personal and eight business,” Mendelson said. “They were deposited on September 13th. None were money orders, two were cashier checks. Each was for $1,000 and each contributor was listed on the next report filed with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance [October 10, 2010].
“I understand that many others have received subpoenas regarding Mr. Thompson’s campaign fundraising,” he continued. “I regret that this has created yet another controversy around City Hall. I believe disclosure is the best course. I am hopeful that the U.S. Attorney’s investigation will uncover the facts as quickly as possible.”
