Council Chairman Vincent Gray 
Press Release Calling for Mayor Adrian Fenty to Fire
Attorney General Peter Nickles
July 8, 2010

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Attorney General has Betrayed the Public Trust

For Immediate Release: July 8, 2010 at 11:08 am
Contact: Traci Hughes at (202) 682-4213 or traci@vincegrayformayor.com

(Washington, DC) — DC Council Chair and Mayoral candidate Vince Gray today issued the following statement calling for the removal of Peter Nickles as Attorney General.

“Two years ago, I voted to confirm Peter Nickles as Attorney General, with a belief and trust that he would put the interests of the people first, as required by D.C. law. There is no question about the fact that the Attorney General's client is the District of Columbia, not the Mayor. That's what the Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor is for. The Attorney General is supposed to be the people's lawyer.

"Unfortunately, it's become increasingly clear that Peter Nickles not only sees himself as the Mayor's lawyer, but also as the Mayor's political hatchet man, and enabler of the Mayor's cronyism. His politicization of the office is inappropriate at best, and illegal at worst. And by protecting the Mayor's cronies, he has put the interest of the Mayor squarely ahead of the interest of his actual client. He has betrayed the public trust too many times to be an effective public advocate. Mayor Fenty should relieve him of his duties immediately.”

Gray's comments come after a series of events in which Nickles inappropriately politicized his role and facilitated the Mayor's cronyism.

• Nickles has politicized the Attorney General's office in recent media interviews in which he has inappropriately (and perhaps illegally) inserted himself into political campaigns.
• Nickles entered into a $550,000 settlement with Banneker Ventures, despite an ongoing city investigation into Banneker for potentially defrauding the public.
• Nickles has presided over a record number of improperly denied Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
• In 2009, he inappropriately hampered a D.C. Council investigation into the donation of a fire truck and ambulance to the Dominican Republic, by interfering with subpoenas issued for two city employees.