The city of Chicago recently shared a video from the “gift room” after Watchdog Group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of inappropriately accepting a valuable gift.
On Wednesday, the city also released new protocols for receiving gifts, as well as logs and videos of items currently within the “gift room.”
An attempt at transparency comes after Johnson accused of accepting and failing to report a valuable gift.
Unreported gifts included jewelry, alcohol, airpods, designer handbags and men's shoes in size 14, prompting ethical concerns.
Please note that the new protocol, which came into effect Tuesday, requires gifts to be reported and recorded properly within 10 days. Store your gifts in designated areas that can be published quarterly via video recordings. Donate extra gifts.
The first video log was sent on Wednesday, featuring artwork, clothing, hats and shoes.
The footage attempts to fight OIG, who refused Johnson to access the room where the items were stored during an unreleased inspection in November.
The written log contains 18 pages of items, including the location and the organization that donated the gift.
According to a statement from the mayor's office, “These procedures reaffirm the mayor's commitment to ethical governance and transparency, ensuring prompt disclosure of all gifts received on the city's behalf.” .
Johnson previously accused the inspector of being a “false feature” and claimed that he had never personally benefited from the gift.
The OIG report includes Hugo Boss Cuff Links, Personalized Montblanc Pen, 2023 US National Soccer Team Jersey, Gucci Tote Bag, Kate Spade Red Purse, and Carrucci Size 14 shoes from March 20, 2022 to March 20, 2024 is.
It was found in a video log dated February 11th, but the online logs did not explain tote bags, wallets or shoes as of Wednesday.
Other items like cuff links and pens are described in the logs, but do not list the organizations or people who donated the gift.
Chicago city inspector Deborah Whitzburg told Fox News Digital on Wednesday night that only a few items present “practical challenges” in the 22-second video.
“There are a few videos that may possibly be recognized, but I don't know that anyone is in a position to watch that video and find a Hugo Boss cufflink or a pair of personalized Mont Blanc pens. ” Wittsburg said.
“I don't know that will help with that. I don't know if that's meant or not.”
According to Witzburg, the video does not serve as an alternative to public access that citizens are entitled to.
She added that she is “deeply worried” about the fact that even gifts recorded in the past few days have no information about their giver.
“It's really been a problem,” Wittsburg said. “At least in that respect, we don't suggest to me that we've made a lot of progress… I've talked a lot about the fact that the city of Chicago operates at this deficit of justification, and what I'll talk about it for decades and generations, the city hasn't given the government any reason to benefit from doubt. And that's really important in such a situation. Perhaps the video has a list of its It shows a room where everything is properly included in it, but I don't know if we gave people a reason to think so.”
The concern is that gifts may be given or received with the intention of affecting city government decisions and actions, she explained.
“You can't have a 'sale' sign on the door to city hall,” Whitberg said.
“The city's ethics regulations include these requirements regarding gifts and have very clear rules about how to handle gifts accepted on behalf of the city.”
