Embattled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao cries as she speaks for first time since FBI raid on her home
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao wept in a fiery speech Monday as she spoke out for the first time since her home was raided by the FBI.
Thao, 38, gave an emotional statement to the press at Oakland City Hall as protesters gathered outside for a rally calling on her to resign.
The embattled mayor insisted she was innocent and claimed the investigation was not about her. She claimed to be the target of a campaign by “radical right-wing forces” aimed at undermining her position.
‘I want to be crystal clear. I didn’t do anything wrong. I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me,” Thao said, wiping a tear from her eyes.
Thao also questioned how the media was prepared for the raid, suggesting a coordinated effort to shape the narrative against her.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao wept in fiery speech as she spoke out for the first time since her home was raided by the FBI
Thao gave an emotional statement to the press at Oakland City Hall on Monday as protesters gathered outside for a rally calling on her to resign.
‘I want to know how the TV cameras could appear on my sleepy residential street so early in the morning to capture footage of the raid.
“And I want to know why Fox News and Breitbart were so willing to fan the flames and tell a story they want to tell, to bend the facts to shape the story.”
She also expressed condolences for the victims of the recent Juneteenth rally near Lake Merritt, where more than a dozen people were injured in a violent incident.
Thao did not answer questions after her brief speech.
Thao’s home was raided by the FBI over pay-to-play allegations against her boyfriend, a former assistant claims – with the employee also revealing a huge breakdown in the couple’s relationship.
The Democratic lawmaker’s home on Maiden Lane was searched around 5:30 a.m. PT on Thursday.
The embattled mayor insisted she was innocent and claimed the investigation was not about her. She claimed to be the target of a campaign by “radical right-wing forces” aimed at undermining her position
Thao’s home was raided by the FBI over pay-to-play allegations against her boyfriend, a former assistant claims – with the employee also revealing a huge breakdown in the couple’s relationship
She expressed her condolences for the victims of the recent Juneteenth rally near Lake Merritt, where more than a dozen people were injured in a violent incident
FBI agents carry boxes from a home linked to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao during a raid in Oakland, California, Thursday
Federal authorities raided a home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Thursday morning as part of an investigation that included a search of at least two other homes.
Renia Webb, who served as Thao’s chief of staff for 18 months, says she has been interviewed by federal agents and believes they may be investigating her boyfriend Andre Jones.
Webb — who says she ran her office and her campaign — accuses Jones of classic pay-to-play corruption, including efforts to lobby for jobs for Thao’s donors and allies.
She says Jones’ behavior bordered on ridiculous, with a stunt where he tried to include his ex-wife in Thao’s swearing-in ceremony as mayor being the final straw for Webb before she quit. That incident is said to have left Thao in tears.
“And finally I thought, ‘Andre, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you need to get out of here.’ I thought: this is too much. I don’t know what’s going on. Sheng cried. She said why would you do this to me on my day, like this is crazy.’
Meanwhile, Webb said she spoke to the FBI earlier this year as part of an investigation into what was going on in the office.
“I could tell from the series of questions that they had already done some research into their type of pay-to-play activities,” she told ABC7.
The Democratic lawmaker’s home on Maiden Lane was searched around 5:30 a.m. PT on Thursday
Thao did not answer questions after her brief speech
Webb also says she was asked about a family near the mayor who was also robbed this week.
Agents conducted searches about three miles south at two homes owned by members of the politically influential Duong family that owns the recycling company Cal Waste Solutions.
The company has come under investigation for campaign contributions to Thao and other elected city officials, local news outlet Oaklandside reported in 2020.
One of the properties is owned by Andy Duong and the other is connected to David and Linda Duong, according to records cited by the Chronicle.
Andy Duong was one of the people Webb was questioned about by federal agents.