Barry Admits ‘Poor Judgment’
WASHINGTON — Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr., under federal investigation for visiting the hotel room of a former city employee suspected of drug dealing, said Friday: “I’m guilty of poor judgment, no question about it.â€
Barry denied that he used drugs and said he would submit to a drug test “under the right conditionsâ€--but not a series of tests--to try to erase what he acknowledged is an embarrassment to the nation’s capital.
His New Year’s resolution is “to be a better mayor,†Barry told a panel of reporters in an interview on a public television station. “This human being stands here ready to say I’m sorry for the poor judgments that have happened to me.â€
The Justice Department has announced that it would aggressively investigate whether Barry has committed a crime stemming from his relationship with Charles Lewis, a former employee of the District of Columbia government.
Two detectives were recalled from a hotel as they were attempting to make an undercover drug purchase from Lewis last week. At the time, Barry reportedly was visiting Lewis in his room.
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