Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accepted more than 200 designer gifts "on behalf of the city," failed to properly log the gifts, and his office improperly blocked inspectors' access to the "gift room" at City Hall, according to a report from city Inspector General Deborah Witzburg released this week.
Further, Johnson's office failed to respond in a timely manner to a Freedom of Information Act request that they told IG inspectors — initially there in an "undercover capacity" — to file if they wanted access to the gift room, according to the report released Wednesday.
When the mayor's office finally complied, they provided a spreadsheet detailing 236 gifts received "on behalf of the city" over a two-year period, including Hugo Boss cuff links; Givenchy, Gucci, and Kate Spade handbags; and a personalized Mont Blanc pen, among other items. However, 70% of the entries did not identify the giver, according to the IG's report.
"That's certainly concerning to me," Witzburg told CBS News. "Where there's anything of value being exchanged, we would absolutely want to know whether those gifts are coming from people looking for influence in some way — whether those are lobbyists or people doing business with the city."
All gifts "accepted on behalf of the city" are supposed to be promptly reported to the Board of Ethics [BOE] and the City Comptroller, who logs the gifts as belonging to the city's inventory.
"Based on an unwritten arrangement dating back to the administration of Mayor Eugene Sawyer [1987-89], successive mayors have not reported gifts accepted on behalf of the City to BOE, but rather have been advised that such gifts could be recorded in a publicly available logbook maintained on the Fifth Floor of City Hall," read the IG's report.
In a response dated Jan. 24, the mayor's office denied that its Department of Law blocked the inspector's general office access to the gift room and did "not explain why it would not have been 'practicable' to provide OIG immediate access to the Gift Room," according to the report.
However, the mayor's office said it would make the room available for future inspections with a "properly scheduled appointment," the IG's report said.
"The Mayor's Office further responded that it 'will continue to comply with all guidance from the Board of Ethics' with respect to public reporting of gifts," the IG report added.