The City of Chicago recently shared a video of the “gift room” as a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of inappropriate acceptance of valuable gifts.
On Wednesday, the city also announced a new gift agreement, along with logs and videos of items currently in the “gift room.”
The attempt to transparency came after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts without reporting them.
Allegedly unreported gifts include jewelry, alcohol, motors, designer handbags and 14-size men's shoes, raising ethical issues.
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The Inspector General’s Office accused Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of accepting unpleasantly accepted designer gifts. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The new agreement came into effect on Tuesday, noting that officials must report and record the gifts correctly within 10 days; store the gifts in designated areas, which can be viewed publicly through quarterly video recordings; and donate excess gifts.
The first video log was sent Wednesday and included artwork, clothes, hats and shoes.
The videotape attempted to fight the OIG claims that Johnson refused internal investigators to enter the rooms where the items were stored during an unannounced inspection in November.
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A written log contains 18 pages of items, as well as their locations and the organization that donates gifts.
"These procedures reaffirm the mayor's commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure the prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the city," a statement from the mayor's office said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been accused of improperly documenting designer gifts, while also blocking access to the City Hall "Gift Room". (Chicago City)
Johnson had previously accused the Inspector General of “mispherical signing” while insisting that he had never personally benefited from any gifts.
OIG report lists Hugo Boss Cuff Links, personalized Montblanc Pen, 2023 U.S. National Football Team jersey, Gucci tote, Kate Spade Red Purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from February 2, 2022 to March 2024 2024.
Among the video logs found in the February 11 video log, the online log did not explain the tote bag, wallet or shoes as of Wednesday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been accused of improperly documenting designer gifts, while also blocking access to the City Hall "Gift Room". (Chicago City)
When other items such as cufflink links and pens are occupied in the log, please do not list the organizations or people who donate the gift.
The inspector general of Deborah Witzburg in Chicago told Fox News on Wednesday night that only a few items were seen in the 22-second video and raised a "practice challenge."
"There are some things in the video that might be recognizable, but I don't know if anyone can watch the video and find a pair of Hugo boss cuff links or personalized Montbrank pens," Wittsburg said. "I don't know it Suitable for this. I'm not sure if it's going to be."
According to Wittsburg, the video is not a substitute for public access that citizens are entitled to.
She added that she was "very worried" that even the gifts registered in the past few days did not have information about their donors.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been accused of improperly documenting designer gifts, while also blocking access to the City Hall "Gift Room". (Chicago City)
"It's still a problem," Wittsburg said. "For me, at least in this regard, we've made a lot of progress... We talked about a lot of the fact that the city of Chicago operates with this legal deficit, And for decades, the city has no reason to bring the government the benefits of doubt, which is really important in situations like this. We give people any reason to do so."
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She explained that the concern is that gifts may be given or received to influence the city’s decisions or actions.
“We can’t have a ‘for-sale’ sign at the gate of the town hall,” Witzburg said. “The city’s ethics rules contain requirements for gifts and there are very clear rules on how to represent the gifts that the city receives.”
Fox News' Patrick McGovern, Greg Weiner and Alexis McAdams contributed to the report.