Loose Lips is Washington City Paper‘s flagship political column, covering all things D.C. politics. Here you will find stories about the D.C. Council, local politicians, the mayor, attorney general, ANCs, elections, government agencies, and more.
Could a Group of Bowser Pals and NIMBYs Scuttle a Traffic Safety Project in Petworth?
What does it take to get a private meeting with one of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s agency heads? Loose Lips probably isn’t the best authority on this subject, considering most avoid him like the plague these days. But LL suspects that a obsequious relationship with the mayor herself couldn’t hurt. The question has been at the…
After Two Failed Comeback Bids, Vincent Orange Is Working as a Mid-Level D.C. Bureaucrat
For the better part of three decades, Vincent Orange has been a brash, blustery, and occasionally bizarre part of D.C.’s civic life. So his absence from the political scene these past two years after his failed Ward 5 Council comeback has felt a bit surprising to Loose Lips. Plenty of politicos have wondered: Where did…
Federal Prosecutor and D.C. Police Union President Accused of Manipulating Evidence in Trial of Trump Inauguration Protesters
The wheels of justice turn slowly, and nowhere is that more true than in the convoluted process of prosecuting a prosecutor. A complaint against federal prosecutor Jennifer Kerkhoff Muyskens, filed Monday by D.C.’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, is roughly seven years in the making. Muyskens has faced questions for years about her handling of the…
Bowser Refuses to Sign 2025 Budget, Choosing Symbolic Opposition Over a Veto
Mayor Muriel Bowser threw the bureaucratic equivalent of a temper tantrum Tuesday, refusing to either sign or veto legislation underpinning the District’s 2025 budget. It’s an unusual tactic that has no practical effect. The spending plan will still move to Congress for its mandatory review period. Bowser’s letter mostly serves as one last chance for…
Initiative 83 Looks Close to Making the November Ballot. Can Opponents Still Derail It?
Adam Eidinger may have questionable fashion sense, but he undoubtedly knows his way around a D.C. ballot initiative. So when he says backers of Initiative 83 have collected the most petition signatures in D.C. history, Loose Lips tends to believe him. The D.C. Board of Elections has until July 31 to decide whether Eidinger and…
The Push for a D.C. Council Resolution Demanding a Ceasefire in Gaza Is Roiling the Wilson Building
The Israel-Palestine conflict has led to arguments and hurt feelings all around the world for centuries. The Wilson Building is no exception now. The Middle East may be thousands of miles away from the District, but Loose Lips hears that the violence in Gaza has prompted all manner of conflict among D.C. politicos over the…
A D.C. Employee Got Caught Having Sex on the Job and Filming It On His Work Phone
The Public Service Commission, an otherwise sleepy agency charged with regulating D.C.’s gas and electric utilities, seldom makes the news. But for the past few months, the PSC has been hiding a sexy secret. A now-former chief at PSC was caught having sex with a co-worker while on the clock and filming it with his…
The Council Saved Pay Raises for Child Care Workers. But Another Battle with the CFO Forced Painful Cuts.
You’re probably as tired of reading about the Pay Equity Fund, the chief financial officer, and the 2025 budget as Loose Lips is of writing about them. Nevertheless, there has been enough new drama that LL begs forbearance as he regales you with what is (hopefully) the final chapter in this story. The Council closed…
Council Hearing Exposes Gaps in the John Falcicchio Investigations
The more the public has learned about the investigations into John Falcicchio’s sexual harassment of women, the more inadequate those efforts appear. The latest example came during Wednesday’s Council hearing on the scandal that has cost the city more than $1 million (so far) and sent Mayor Muriel Bowser’s top aide packing. Councilmembers and witnesses…
AG Brian Schwalb’s Criminal Investigation of John Falcicchio Has Touched Off a Turf War Over Documents
Nothing has been easy or simple about the investigations into the sexual harassment allegations against John Falcicchio, and Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s probe of potential criminal charges is no exception. Loose Lips hears that a messy turf war has broken out among the various entities to examine the scandal embroiling Mayor Muriel Bowser’s former right-hand…
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