Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to weigh in Monday on whether or not his prime adviser voted final month in Texas, saying any questions on whether or not it was improper for him to vote in Houston are the accountability of election officers there.
During his first remarks to reporters for the reason that Tribune reported final week that Jason Lee voted in individual in November’s presidential election on Election Day in Houston, Johnson stated “that is a problem that is being checked out.” however he didn’t clarify what he meant. .
Asked who’s investigating Lee’s voting and residency historical past, Johnson stated, “As I perceive it, it is going to be the state of Texas’ accountability to find out the extent.”
Documents obtained by the Tribune present Lee’s voter registration deal with was listed in Houston, and one doc signifies he informed Texas election officers he lived there. Lee has additionally served as a senior adviser to Johnson since his mayoral transition in May 2023 and that month signed an affidavit certifying that Chicago is his everlasting dwelling.
“As you recognize, it is a private factor and I do not focus on these sorts of private dynamics publicly,” Johnson informed reporters. “As this course of continues to unfold and unfold, choices and conclusions will probably be made based mostly on how this specific situation is just not solely highlighted, but additionally what’s found because of its evaluation.”
Harris County authorities and the Texas legal professional common’s workplaces haven’t introduced any investigations into Lee, who has not been accused of wrongdoing. In a cellphone interview final week, Lee informed the Tribune he want to vote for his sister, Erica Lee Carter, in a particular election to fill the unfinished congressional time period of their late mom, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee after his dying. pancreatic most cancers in July.
Lee stated he’s allowed to vote in Texas despite the fact that he lives in Chicago.
“Being registered in a metropolis and residing in a metropolis usually are not the identical factor,” Lee informed the Tribune in his interview. “You do not need to be registered to vote to dwell in a metropolis. And on May 15 (2023) I had residency in Chicago and was a resident.
Lee has no voting file in Chicago besides within the March 2020 major, in response to public information launched by the Chicago Board of Elections. Harris County, Texas, clerk information present that Lee voted in Texas later that November and that on this 12 months’s Nov. 5 election he voted at Thompson Elementary School in Houston.
His voting info final month signifies that Lee confirmed to the pollster that he nonetheless lives in Texas, though Lee informed the Tribune he didn’t recall such a dialog.
“I do not know what they requested me. I do not keep in mind what they requested. It does not matter what they requested me,” Lee stated when introduced together with his November voting file. “Do you assume each single interplay at a polling place goes by precisely what’s marked?”
On Chicago’s authorities aspect, frequent critic of the mayor Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15, filed a grievance with town inspector common’s workplace Friday after studying the Tribune article.
“At first look, the narrative supplied is, at greatest, problematic and, at worst, constitutes prison voter fraud,” Lopez wrote to Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. “Therefore, I name for a right away investigation into this matter. This is inexcusable habits from somebody in a management position throughout the present administration.”
Johnson defended Lee’s character on Monday in response to questions on whether or not the mayor nonetheless had confidence in his senior adviser amid any investigations.
“As you recognize, Jason and I’ve identified one another for some time, and he has been an incredible supporter of working folks on this metropolis,” Johnson stated. “What I find out about Jason is that he comes from a legacy of pro-worker management and organizing. And I do know his worth system on this regard. And I respect it very, very a lot.
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