Councilmember John Lee has responded to allegations that he violated gift laws in 2016 and the fine of $138,000 from the L.A. Ethics Commission. He issued the following statement to North Valley Group: “The City’s so-called ‘Ethics Commission’s’ absurd fine, including a $95,000 penalty for five counts they failed to prove in a formal Administrative Hearing, is based on a complete misinterpretation of facts and proves the process is wasteful and political.
The Commission rubber-stamped a biased investigation and blatantly ignored all relevant facts, including that the FBI never charged me for backdating any checks or aiding Mitchell Englander’s 2017 illegal activities.
I have cooperated with this process at every step. I voluntarily turned over every document asked of me, cooperated with both federal and commission investigators, and testified numerous times on this matter under oath. The only thing I’m guilty of is being honest and transparent in the face of an utterly dishonest process.
Today’s action also removes safeguards for anyone who dares challenge the Commission’s outlandish interpretation of facts. The Commission picking and choosing which people to target based on their political views is not oversight — it is retribution and a department running amok.
Violating their own statute-of-limitations laws empowers the Commission to generate conveniently timed headlines and false accusations — as they did just weeks before my most recent election.
I’m thankful that the voters of my district recognize the frivolousness of this investigation and a clear pattern: two former Ethics Commission Presidents have unsuccessfully run campaigns against me to serve as Councilmember of the Twelfth District.
Today is but one step in the process of fighting these baseless charges. I look forward to finally having an opportunity to have this matter adjudicated in a fair and impartial setting.
I will not be bullied into settling or admitting to something I didn’t do. I’ll continue standing up for the truth and the people of Council District 12.”
