Mayor Gray Declines to Discuss “Apology”

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray clashed Thursday with reporters asking about his troubled 2010 campaign that remains under criminal investigation.

Gray made a general "apology" Wednesday for the flawed campaign but declined to discuss it. He has never explained his role in that 2010 campaign, but questions about it aren't going away.

Arriving at a library event downtown Thursday, the mayor didn't want to discuss a general apology he made Wednesday for his troubled 2010 campaign, but he can't apologize for what others did illegally for that campaign. The mayor got irritated when News4 said we'd press all day if necessary for answer.

Gray campaign operatives Vernon Hawkins and Jeanne Clark Harris and two others have pleaded guilty to felonies as part of Gray's 2010 effort. The mayor has not been charged.

After the program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, reporters tried again to ask about the vague apology. Gray's press secretary said the mayor wouldn't talk.

Gray is preparing to kick off his reelection bid Saturday at The Arc, a popular community room, but there will be no media availability after the mayor is finished speaking.

Gray’s supporters say the limited apology is meant to both reassure some voters and maybe spur sympathy for the mayor being chased by the media.

Gray did not attend a candidate forum in Georgetown Thursday night because of a schedule conflict.

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