DC mayor Muriel Bowser caught off guard by questions about lavish trips to Miami, Dubai and the Masters

The politician of Washington DC has sidestepped questions implicit missing receipts relating to trips to Miami and Dubai. 

Muriel Bowser, 52, was questioned past week by WJLA writer Scott Taylor implicit whether her exotic question docket violated DC's Code of Conduct. 

Bowser had attended the US Conference of Mayors successful Miami successful 2022, earlier making a travel to Dubai to be the United Nations Climate Conference successful 2023. 

Another travel progressive a 500 mile circular travel connected a backstage pitchy to the 2024 Masters Tournament successful Augusta, Georgia. 

Her bureau has said that the US Conference of Mayors had paid for some the Miami and Dubai trip, but nary receipts with her sanction connected it beryllium for the travels. 

When questioned, Bowser said: 'We're talking astir the inaugural today, and we're blessed to get backmost to you connected immoderate different questions', earlier rapidly moving on.

A Freedom of Information petition uncovered that nary edifice expenses, flights oregon meals beryllium with her sanction connected it. 

The DC Board of Ethics and Government Accountability guidance says that immoderate gifts made to the politician indispensable beryllium disclosed connected her fiscal disclosure.

Both the Miami and Dubai trips are not listed arsenic gifts connected her 2022 oregon 2023 fiscal records.

The committee confirmed successful an email that gifts tin beryllium made to the District of Columbia which involves a donations process. 

According to WJLA, DC does not person a donation statement with the US Conference of Mayors - meaning the trips are not considered a donation to the district. 

If the politician had accepted the acquisition and it was not allowed nether the DC Code, she could beryllium violating their Code of Conduct.

In doing so, she could look fines of up to $5,000 per usurpation oregon 3 times the magnitude of the gift. 

According to her office, Events DC  - an limb of DC's athletics authorization - reimbursed spot developers EDENS implicit $5,700 for her travel to the Masters. 

The spot institution told WJLA that they had been reimbursed, but Events DC has been incapable to manus implicit impervious of specified a transaction. 

Her bureau said the Masters travel aimed 'to bring much concern to the city, foster growth, and revitalize downtown'. 

The DC Code says the politician cannot judge a acquisition from a prohibited root which refers to companies doing concern with the district. 

EDENS falls nether a prohibited source, arsenic they assistance the territory rebuild the Union Market country of the metropolis and person up to $82 cardinal successful taxation discounts.  

In the aftermath of a travel to Dubai successful 2023 for a conference, Bowser said: 'No substance wherever I am, my squad is moving and ever successful interaction with maine astatine a moment’s notice.' 

Due to the findings of the WJLA investigation, reporters are handing implicit what they uncovered for the Board of Ethics to behaviour their ain investigation. 

Backlash started to brew earlier this twelvemonth implicit the travels which was only exacerbated erstwhile Bowser took a jaunt to Las Vegas with a squad of 14. 

She described the question arsenic being portion of an 'economic mission' to the International Council of Shopping Centers successful Sin City. 

'Mayor Bowser volition be the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) to pull retail to the District of Columbia,' the statement states.

'This economical ngo is coordinated by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, which has organized the District's beingness astatine ICSC since 2001,' her bureau added successful the event's explanation.