The mayor of Washington DC has sidestepped questions about missing receipts for trips to Miami and Dubai.
Muriel Bowser, 52, was questioned last week by WJLA journalist Scott Taylor on whether her exotic itinerary violated DC’s code of conduct.
Bowser had attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami in 2022 before making a trip to Dubai in 2023 to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Another trip involved a 500-mile round-trip private jet to the 2024 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
Her office has said the U.S. Conference of Mayors paid for both the trip to Miami and Dubai, but no receipts with her name on it exist for the trips.
When questioned, Bowser said, “We’re talking about the inauguration today and we’ll be happy to get back to you with any other questions you may have,” before quickly moving on.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that no hotel charges, flights or meals exist with her name on it.
The D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability guidelines say all gifts to the mayor must be disclosed in her financial disclosure.
Both the trips to Miami and Dubai are not listed as gifts in her financial records for 2022 or 2023.
Muriel Bowser, 52, was questioned last week by WJLA journalist Scott Taylor about whether her exotic itinerary violated D.C.’s code of conduct
Another trip involved a 500-mile round-trip private jet to the 2024 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Scottie Scheffler celebrates his victory at the tournament here in April
The board confirmed in an email that gifts can be made to the District of Columbia, which will involve a donation process.
According to WJLA, DC does not have a donation agreement with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, meaning the trips are not considered a donation to the District.
If the mayor had accepted the gift and it was not allowed under the DC Code, she could have violated their Code of Conduct.
If she does so, she could face fines of up to $5,000 per violation or three times the amount of the gift.
According to her office, Events DC – an arm of the DC Sports Authority – reimbursed property developer EDENS more than $5,700 for her trip to the Masters.
The real estate company told WJLA they had been refunded, but Events DC was unable to provide proof of such a transaction.
Her office said the Masters trip aimed to “bring more business to the city, promote growth and revitalize downtown.”
The DC Code says the mayor cannot accept a gift from a prohibited source that refers to companies that do business with the District.
EDENS is a prohibited resource because they are helping the district rebuild the city’s Union Market area and receiving up to $82 million in tax credits.
If the mayor had accepted the gift and it was not allowed under the DC Code, she could have violated their Code of Conduct
Earlier this year, a backlash began to arise over the trips, which was only exacerbated when Bowser took a trip to Las Vegas with a 14-man team.
Speaking in the wake of a 2023 trip to Dubai for a conference, Bowser said: “No matter where I am, my team is always working and in touch with me in no time.”
Because of the findings of the WJLA investigation, reporters are turning over what they discovered to the Board of Ethics to conduct their own investigation.
Earlier this year, a backlash began to arise over the trips, which was only exacerbated when Bowser took a trip to Las Vegas with a team of fourteen.
She described the trip as part of an “economic mission” to the International Council of Shopping Centers in Sin City.
“Mayor Bowser will attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) to attract retail to the District of Columbia,” the description said.
“This economic mission is coordinated by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, which has organized the District’s presence at ICSC since 2001,” her office added in notes about the event.