D.C.’s police chief and mayor shed more light Thursday on an investigation concerning an officer with possible links to a white supremacist group.
In an oversight hearing with Council member Charles Allen, police Chief Robert Contee did not say much about the inquiry into a D.C. police lieutenant placed on paid administrative leave this week.
The allegations are not public, but Mayor Muriel Bowser shared her understanding of the situation: “I don’t know specifically, but I know it involves their investigations involving Jan. 6,” she said.
The officer who is on leave has not been charged, but Contee said that could change as the investigation develops further.
Allen asked about whether Contee has concerns there could be other members of the force who have ties to white supremacists: “Can you say, besides this one officer and this alleged conduct, no other officers in the department are part of any white supremacy organization or have ties,” he said.
“It’s hard to make any absolutes in that space,” Contee replied. “Again, it’s the conversations that we don’t know about that could be concerning.”
Days after the storming of the U.S. Capitol, D.C. police launched an investigation into its processes and allegations against members, days into Contee’s tenure, which is still not complete.
