Loose Lips is Washington City Paper‘s flagship political column, covering all things D.C. politics. Here you will find stories about the D.C. Council, local politicians, the mayor, attorney general, ANCs, elections, government agencies, and more.
Chuck Rocha Used His National Connections to Upend the Ward 7 Council Race for His Fiancee, Ebony Payne. It’s Seriously Pissed Off D.C. Politicos.
“I’ma kick your ass out of D.C.,” Cameron Montgomery told political consultant Chuck Rocha in a recent voicemail. “Every time you put your hands up to run for something or get behind somebody, I’m gonna make sure we run you right out,” Montgomery continued, according to a recording Rocha shared with Loose Lips. “We don’t…
Is the Group Working to Recall Charles Allen Breaking the Law? Allen’s Supporters Think So.
It would be strangely poetic if the people who have made crime the centerpiece of their campaign to recall Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen have broken the law themselves. As it happens, that is exactly what Allen’s allies have accused them of in a recent campaign finance complaint. Neighbors United for Ward 6, the group…
The Independent Investigation into John Falcicchio’s Sexual Harassment Scandal Is Over. There’s No Telling When the Public Will See Its Results.
Investigators delivered a report delving more deeply into John Falcicchio’s sexual harassment of city employees to the Council late Friday. But, for now, the public isn’t allowed to see it. After several days’ worth of rumors flying about the report’s imminent release, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau delivered the disappointing news in a 5 p.m.…
Bowser’s Budget Gimmicks Could Derail D.C.’s Clean Energy Programs. Can the Council Block Them?
Mayor Muriel Bowser is selling her decision to repurpose roughly $182 million in funding for clean energy projects as a responsible, pragmatic move to save the city money on its energy costs while at the same time looking out for people grappling with rising utility bills. But is any of that spin true? Lawmakers and…
Ex-Employees Raise Concerns About Shadow Senator Hopeful Eugene Kinlow’s Years Working for Bowser
Back in May 2023, Mayor Muriel Bowser was nearing another showdown with House Republicans on Capitol Hill. Congress had just overturned its first District law in decades, and the GOP had called for another showy hearing to slam the overwhelmingly Democratic city as a crime-infested hellscape. This would, theoretically, be a huge moment for Bowser’s…
A Campaign Contractor is Suing Veda Rasheed, Roiling Her Ward 7 Council Bid
Outwardly, Veda Rasheed might look like she’s in a good spot in the Ward 7 Council primary. She’s broadly seen as a top contender among ward activists, she’s raising plenty of money, and she just scored an endorsement from the notoriously deep-pocketed Democrats for Education Reform. Behind the scenes, however, her campaign has been roiled…
An Imposter Is Trolling the Bowser Administration by Posing as DDOT’s Director on Social Media
If it seems like the DDOT director’s account on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has gotten extra spicy recently, there’s a good reason: It’s an impostor. As entertaining as it might be to think of newly anointed Acting Director Sharon Kershbaum posting AI-generated renderings of a double-decker highway over Connecticut Avenue NW,…
Bowser Sends Opioid Funds to a Friend’s Public Relations Firm With a Questionable Past
Love her or hate her, Mayor Muriel Bowser is undeniably loyal to her friends—even if that gets her into a little bit of trouble sometimes. In the latest demonstration of playing favorites, Bowser’s government delivered a $500,000 contract to a marketing firm run by one of her longtime friends, 2014 campaign spokesperson Everett Hamilton. That…
Will Tough-on-Crime Politics Work Against Janeese Lewis George?
Loose Lips predicted six months ago that Lisa Gore would run a tough-on-crime campaign. And that bit of forecasting in her challenge to Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George seems to have been spot-on. LL did not have it on his bingo card, however, that Gore would do so by calling Lewis George a lawmaker…
There’s a Chaotic 10-Candidate Race to Replace Vince Gray in Ward 7. Has a Front-Runner Emerged?
With less than two months until the Ward 7 Council primary wraps up, Wendell Felder has been hit with more than his fair share of slings and arrows. But he doesn’t mind. “As the front-runner, with all this momentum, more attacks are starting to come my way,” he tells Loose Lips. That might sound bold,…
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