Fenty accepts trip from Chinese government

WASHINGTON - WTOP has learned D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has accepted more than $35,000 in paid travel from foreign countries.

According to a report issued by the District's Attorney General, the United Arab Emirates paid $25,000 to cover the cost of the Mayor's trip to Dubai last month and the Government of China paid $11,300 for the Mayor to travel to the Beijing Olympics.

Fenty drew criticism for attending a tennis tournament in Dubai that an Israeli player was prohibited from playing in. Fenty told WTOP he was aware of the controversy and decided to attend the event anyway. He told WTOP Saturday that the player should have been allowed to participate in the tournament.

Fenty's family accompanied him on both trips. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles says, "No taxpayer dollars were used for either trip." A spokesperson for the mayor says Fenty paid for the family's portion of the trips.

This is the first accounting the Mayor has given of his trips. As a councilmember, Fenty was critical of former Mayor Tony Williams for his frequent travel out of the country. Fenty said that he travels an appropriate amount of time as mayor.

Fenty did not disclose his Dubai trip until after he returned and was questioned by reporters. Since his return, Fenty has been reluctant to provide any details of the trip, except to say no tax dollars were spent.

Many questions still remain unanswered, including who paid for the mayor's tickets to the Olympics and the Dubai Tennis Tournament as well as exactly who he met with in an official capacity while on the trips.

The report gives few details about exactly what the money was spent on, describing the expenses as, "food, hotel, incidental, and transportation expenses related to the Mayor's performance of his official duties." Nickles tells WTOP the costs of the trips "were estimated by the governments." The report does not say who paid for the mayor's tickets to the Olympic events or the tennis match.

The report is also vague on what "official duties" the mayor performed while on those trips. While in China, the report notes, "He performed his official duties and formal governmental functions while in China, including meeting with local government officials and furthering the District's Sister City relationship with China's capital."

Fenty also said Saturday that his communications director would provide more information about his activities in his official role on his trips.

As for the Dubai trip the report says, "[Fenty] performed his official duties and formal governmental functions while in Dubai, including, as previously noted, meeting with local government officials and business leaders."

The Dubai trip was paid for entirely by UAE Ambassador, Yousef al-Otaiba. The report says several entities paid for the China trip. "$3,800 from the Beijing municipal government, $5,000 from the Shanghai municipal government, and $2,500 from the Chinese People's Association for Friendship."

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