D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray accused Mayor Adrian Fenty‘s fraternity brothers Omar Karim and Sinclair Skinner, who are at the heart of a council investigation into alleged corrupt contracting of parks and recreation projects, of “stonewalling” that investigation for political reasons.

Gray’s comments came during a conference call with reporters (well, LL and The Examiner’s Freeman Klopott and a bunch of Gray staffers. Seriously, Washington Post, you’re not going to cover any of this?). The campaign organized it to discuss the council’s actions yesterday to try and block any payment to Karim’s construction company, Banneker Ventures.

The council also voted to give its special investigator, Robert Trout, power to seek a court order to compel Karim to hand over more information on his law group and its relationship to Skinner.

Gray said Skinner, who also needed to be persuaded by a judge to talk to Trout, and Karim have “dragged [Trout’s investigation] out far longer than it should have been.”

Asked if it was a concerted effort by Karim and Skinner to delay the report until after the Sept. 14th primary, Gray said:

“Well, it certainly seems like that, I mean I can’t prove that at this stage.”

He added: “They’re obviously friends with the mayor, they’re cronies of the mayor, I have no doubt that they have discussed this extensively,” he said.

Karim and Skinner’s lawyer, A. Scott Bolden, could not  immediately be reached for comment.