News4 has learned that embattled D.C. council member Jim Graham will “not” fight a full council reprimand of him on Monday for ethics violations.
Graham told News4’s Tom Sherwood that the issue has gone on too long. He said he has “serious business to attend to” as the Ward 1 council member and as chairman of the council’s human services committee.
Graham is facing a rare reprimand vote Monday. A reprimand is a formal statement by the council officially disapproving of a member's conduct. It's not as serious as a censure.
Two separate investigations concluded Graham improperly sought to barter who would get unrelated contracts for the District and for the Metro system back in 2008. According to the investigations, Graham offered to support a developer's bid for the city's lottery contract in exchange for the developer dropping out of a land deal that adjoined a Metro station.
Graham has denied any wrongdoing and faces no civil or criminal charges. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Thursday that he planned to strip Graham of his oversight of alcoholic beverage regulation.
Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for more on this developing story.
