The Friday afternoon raid by federal officials targeting a D.C. contractor and political fundraiser has local politicians worried about what might be next. The raid on Jeffrey Thompson’s home and office came amid ongoing investigations into corruption in the city, and according to NBC4 may be related to Mayor Vince Gray’s troubled 2010 mayoral campaign.
Thompson is the District’s largest contractor, operating Chartered Health, which provides Medicaid and other health services to over 100,000 people in the District. (It has been accused of defrauding the D.C. government in the past.) He’s also one of the city’s most generous campaign contributors, having given $730,000 to a number of officials and candidates (including Gray and former Mayor Adrian Fenty) over the last decade, according to the City Paper.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of his largesse has been Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large), who took in over $40,000 during his council run last year and around $100,000 over the last decade. The Post reports today that two of Orange’s challengers in this year’s At-Large primary have used the raid to pummel Orange and call into question his integrity.
The big question is what’s next. Is U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ron Machen any closer to making a case against Gray and his campaign, which has been the focus of an investigation since last year? And will Sekou Biddle and Peter Shapiro now have a better shot at unseating Orange? Neither Gray nor Orange are saying much.
Martin Austermuhle