Big development today in the years-long investigation into the 2010 mayor’s race in DC: The central figure in the case, suspected of operating a shadow campaign for the eventual winner, Mayor Vincent Gray, has reached a deal with prosecutors. Jeffrey Thompson will face modest jail time, but the big question is what information has he given prosecutors, against Gray or others.
In addition to his work on Gray’s behalf, Thompson was also running an off-the-books operation to benefit Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign, to the tune of $608,750, prosecutors say. The Clinton connection isn’t new. It had come out in previous court documents in a related case. It doesn’t appear at this point that the Clinton campaign will be implicated directly.
As for Gray, he still appears to be the big fish prosecutors are after. All of this comes just three weeks before the Democratic primary in which Gray is running for re-election.
Late Update: That may be the sound of the other shoe hitting the floor now. While the charging documents filed today didn’t get into it, prosecutors in open court this afternoon alleged that the evidence shows Gray had knowledge of the shadow campaign. From the Post:
In a hearing in federal court, prosecutors revealed for the first time that Gray (D) knew about the “shadow campaign” — a secret and illegal effort to bolster Gray’s mayoral run. They also said Gray personally asked for businessman Jeffrey E. Thompson’s help. In fact, in a June 2010 meeting, Thompson reminded Gray that his support would have to be secret. The two agreed to refer to Thompson as “Uncle Earl” to hide the campaign dealings, they said.
