After being grilled by a House committee about the “secret gift” room, a Republican legislator is celebrating after the Mayor of Chicago agreed to donate its contents.
“Just days after I forced corrupt @ChicagosMayor to answer for his secret gift room, he’s making the gifts public. They are now being donated to charity,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said on X.
Chicago is a Sanctuary City that harbors illegal criminal aliens terrorizing Americans. Gill went on to say that Mayor Brandon Johnson was a strong advocate and supporter of Sanctuary Cities. At the same time, Johnson was receiving lavish gifts from unidentified sources.
Gill had questioned Mayor Brandon Johnson last week about the gifts he’d received. These included Hugo Boss Cufflinks and a Montblanc Pen personalized with his name.
Johnson stated, “I didn’t receive them personally. The city of Chicago did.” “Those gifts aren’t mine; they’re gifts from the City of Chicago, and you know that because of this.”
ABC7 Chicago covered the “mayor’s gift” room after that hearing. Some of the gifts were older than Johnson’s time in office, including a Kate Spade handbag for women, T-shirts, and coffee cups. Other gifts included a Chicago Bulls signed jersey and a NASCAR racing suit.
According to the outlet, all of these items have been categorized and listed on a website for the city. It also lists who gave them. According to The Outlet, gifts are donated on a rotational basis to charity, and the Mayor’s Office opens the gift room for the public by appointment one day a quarter.
This questioning followed a Chicago Inspector General report that criticized the lack of transparency. It also reported that 70% of gifts did not have a record as to who gave them. More than 300 gifts were in the room.
The report stated, “When gifts are being exchanged in a room without windows at City Hall there is no public oversight or scrutiny to determine the legitimacy of these gifts, their origins and the intentions of those who give them, nor what it really means when gifts such as whiskey, men’s size 14 shoes, handbags and jewelry will be accepted on behalf of City.”
A request for comment was not immediately responded to by the city.
Gill drew attention to the controversy that has surrounded “sanctuary cities”, which restrict the state and local authorities’ ability to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“While this new-found transparency is welcome, it isn’t enough. Sanctuary city policies must end now. Our elected officials have a duty to American citizens, not illegal aliens,” he said.