Back in April, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser -- who admitted not being a fan of golf -- took a trip to Augusta and attended the Masters, golfing's premier tournament.
This is how it was covered at the time:
Mayor Muriel Bowser attended the Masters golf tournament—500+ miles away from Washington, DC—on the taxpayer’s dime, writing off the expense as a business opportunity to “promote sports and economic development” in DC.
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) April 18, 2024
She claims to have been invited by two people leading a new… pic.twitter.com/XvvR3DCCjH
And this:
Looks like Bowser had some company on this trip: Some eagle-eyed tipsters spotted posts from both former Ward 4 CM Brandon Todd and ex-night mayor Shawn Townsend at the Masters too.
— Alex Koma (@AlexKomaWCP) April 14, 2024
Very curious to learn more about all this… https://t.co/gxbXOH6u95 pic.twitter.com/K0cXLTH7Sv
Well, we've learned more, and it turns out she didn't use taxpayer funds for it, but rather it was paid for by a developer with significant business in front of the city.
“At the Masters, sources confirm Bowser ‘ran into’ her former chief of staff and deputy mayor John Falcicchio, who resigned a year ago amid lurid sexual misconduct.”
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) May 8, 2024
Dem DC Mayor Bowser rode on a private jet (bankrolled by developers who have business before the city) to Masters… https://t.co/p5nqeNajQG
Recommended
More from Washington City Paper:
Mayor Muriel Bowser, not a particular fan of golf, attended one of the most celebrated—and expensive—golf tournaments in the world last month when she spent Saturday, April 13, at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
And a corporation with significant D.C. business paid for it.
Bowser says she and her Senior Advisor, Beverly Perry, were guests of Jodie McLean, chief executive officer of EDENS, a national retail and mixed-use real estate company. Its D.C. area projects include Union Market, a 40-acre retail and dining space in Northeast that has benefited from the District’s tax increment financing bonds totaling more than $82.4 million, according to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
Asked about the trip, EDENS spokesperson Sommer Hixson said Tuesday afternoon that she would respond to City Paper’s inquiry, but had not done so by press time.
Seems scandal-y, no?
And -- once again -- if Bowser had an (R) after her name, this would be headline news across the country.
Washington City Paper is reporting that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser flew on a private plane, paid for by developers with business in front of the city, to the Masters. https://t.co/thEyUOFcZE
— Nick Ballas (@NicholasBallas) May 8, 2024
Could be considered a bribe, no?
— jigawatt97 (@jigawatt97) May 8, 2024
Yep.
It's just (D)ifferent......
— SECRET SQUIRREL ⎷⎷ (@SecritSqrl) May 8, 2024
'Promoting sports and economic development' in D.C.
That's all.
Suuuuureee.
Oh, I see:https://t.co/tJ8bmbjhsp
— Eddie from Acworth (@eddyfromacworth) May 8, 2024
So many layers to this, it's like an onion of hypocrisy and double standards.
Challenge still on the table:
— Mitch Mitchell (@MitchMi68122792) May 8, 2024
Name a "woman of color" mayor of a reasonably large city who isn't corrupt, incompetent, or both.
Name a Democrat who isn't one or both.
Washington DC politicians like Bowser have always been corrupt.
— RVA Chico (@Chico23116) May 8, 2024
Washington, New York, Chicago. There's a pattern here.
When will these corrupt Democrats realize that all you have to do is include Hunter Biden and you’ll be fine? https://t.co/IIyHb9UJMe
— Sunny (@sunnyright) May 8, 2024
Heh.
https://t.co/XV4KWuW2iZ pic.twitter.com/RdIriMDZ41
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) May 8, 2024
So. Totally. Busted.
GP Took a corrupt trip on a private jet to the Masters but couldn't be bothered to clean up the jackasses at GWU's super-fun and totally not anti-Semitic pro-Hamas encampment.
— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) May 8, 2024
Good look, mayor. https://t.co/yNrzZt1GXj
Good luck, indeed.
Countdown to police removing encampments... 3... 2... https://t.co/kuSCWU3VdZ
— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) May 8, 2024
Anything to distract from this.
It takes a lot of work and determination to make the guy from the Mario games the second worst Bowser, but somehow she did it. https://t.co/APliE0xvDx
— Mike Nelson (@mikenelson586) May 8, 2024
Well played.
A tradition unlike any other! https://t.co/9AqFRe3Tot
— Mike Joyce (@mjoyce317) May 8, 2024
The political corruption? Indeed.
Certainly the calculus right now is this: is Bowser vital enough to the Democratic Party that they'll let this corruption slide, or will she be punished for it -- as any other person or politician without a (D) after her name would be?
We'll see, we suppose.
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