Photo by michael starghill

Mike DeBonis follows up on FBI and IRS agents’ search of D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr.’s home, a response to allegations that Thomas steered $300,000 of public money to his private use.

DeBonis finds that Thomas continues to enjoy unwavering support from a select group of loyal backers and D.C. residents, despite increased federal scrutiny and a looming indictment.

On Friday, Council Chairman Kwame Brown called an emergency meeting to discuss Thomas, but postponed it until Monday when it became clear that only a handful of councilmembers would be able to attend.

It’s only speculation now as to what action the D.C. Council might take. Separate from the council, Thomas could be subject to recall in January, and if he was jailed for a felony the Board of Elections and Ethics could declare him ineligible to serve. Thomas’s potential indictment is particularly awkward for the council, which is currently trying to pass comprehensive ethics legislation.

From the Washington Post:

As Thomas continues to fight, he can rely on a deep well of goodwill among Ward 5 residents, including many who watched him grow up, the son of Harry Thomas Sr., the former occupant of the council seat that the son now holds, and Romaine Thomas, a political activist and former public school principal.

The FBI raid did little to dim his luster, for instance, among many golfers at the Langston Golf Course in Northeast Washington, where Thomas has hosted fundraisers and used to show up almost daily to play a round. But staff members who once encountered him playing golf every day said Saturday that they last saw him at the course months ago.
Some of the men playing golf on a sunny, December day scoffed at the FBI investigation and predicted that it will not undermine the efforts of Team Thomas, the nonprofit foundation founded and controlled by the council member.

“Team Thomas and Harry Thomas have done so much good for so many people,” said James Powell, 66, a Ward 7 resident heading to his car after a weekend game. Of the raid, he said: “People know it’s political. It’s racial. We know what the Thomas family has done in the District of Columbia.”