DC Council censures Marion Barry over cash gifts
DC Council censures Councilmember Marion Barry for taking $6,800 in cash from city contractors
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The District of Columbia Council has censured Councilmember Marion Barry for accepting $6,800 in cash from two city contractors.
The council also stripped Barry of his chairmanship of its Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs.
Barry objected to the punishment, arguing that the council lacked the authority to take away his committee chairmanship. But he also said he was ready to get past the controversy.
It was the second time in less than the four years that the council censured Barry and took away his committee. The earlier punishment was for helping a former girlfriend get a $15,000 city contract.
Barry, a 77-year-old Democrat, served four terms as District of Columbia mayor. He was videotaped smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting operation in 1990, during his third mayoral term.
