Chicago mayor’s office gives inside look at ‘gift room’ after watchdog report flagged ethical concerns
The City of Chicago recently shared a video of its “gift room” after a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting valuable gifts.
On Wednesday, the city also announced new protocols for receiving gifts, along with a log and video of items currently inside its “gift room.”
The transparency attempt comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them.
Alleged unreported gifts included jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags and size 14 men’s shoes, prompting ethical concerns.
The new protocols, which went into effect on Tuesday, note that officials must report and properly log gifts within 10 days; store gifts in a designated area that can be viewed publicly via video recording quarterly; and donate excess gifts.
The first video log was sent out on Wednesday and featured artwork, clothing, hats and shoes.
The footage attempts to combat OIG claims that Johnson denied internal investigators access to the room where the items were stored during an unannounced inspection in November.
A written log contains 18 pages of items, along with their location and the organization that donated the gifts.
“These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
Johnson previously accused the inspector general of a “mischaracterization,” while insisting he never personally benefited from any gifts.
The OIG report listed Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a 2023 US National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade red purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from Feb. 2, 2022, through March 20, 2024.
While spotted in the video log, dated Feb. 11, the online log does not account for the tote bag, purse or shoes, as of Wednesday.
Other items like the cuff links and pen, while accounted for in the log, do not list the organization or person who donated the gift.
Inspector General for the City of Chicago Deborah Witzburg told Fox News Digital Wednesday night that only some items are visible in the 22-second video, presenting “practical challenges.”
“There are some things visible in the video which are maybe recognizable, but I don’t know that anybody is in a position to look at that video and find the pair of Hugo Boss cuff links or the personalized Montblanc pen,” Witzburg said.
“I don’t know that it lends itself to that. I’m not sure whether it’s intended to.”
According to Witzburg, the video does not serve as a substitute for public access, which citizens are entitled to.
She added she is “deeply concerned” about the fact that even gifts logged in the last couple of days have no information about their givers.
“That continues to be really problematic,” Witzburg said. “It doesn’t suggest to me that, at least in that regard, we’ve made a lot of progress… We talk a lot about the fact that the City of Chicago operates at this deficit of legitimacy, and that for decades and generations, the city has given no one any reason to afford the government the benefit of the doubt. And that really matters in a situation like this. Perhaps that video shows a room which appropriately contains everything on that list, but I’m not sure that we have given people any reason to think so.”
The concern is that gifts might be given or received with the intention of affecting city government decisions or actions, she explained.
“We can’t have a ‘for sale’ sign on the door to City Hall,” Witzburg said.
“The city’s ethics rules contain these requirements on gifts, and there are very clear rules on how to handle gifts accepted on behalf of the city.”
