Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao dismisses claims about partner's role in administration
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Wednesday dismissed the claims of her partner's role in her administration as "rumors and innuendo" when CBS News Bay Area interviewed her for the first time since the FBI raid on her home June 20.
During the seven-minute interview with CBS News Bay Area anchor and reporter Ryan Yamamoto, Thao largely reiterated what she has said in previous public comments since the raid, declaring her innocence and referring any questions about the investigation to federal authorities.
When asked if the FBI has told her she is not under investigation, Thao replied, "First and foremost, I cannot comment on matters related to an ongoing investigation, but what I can share is that I am not the subject of investigation and I have done nothing wrong. And I expect that there will be an opportunity for us to say more, but not at this time."
The mayor also reiterated that she is "fully cooperating with the investigation" and added, "If you have other questions about the investigation, I implore you to ask the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office."
When Yamamoto asked about Thao's partner Andre Jones and his involvement in the investigation, the mayor replied, "Look, Andre's my partner and has been for ten years. We love and support one another as many couples do. The question you're asking relates to what's being reported and is connected to the investigation, so I can't comment on that and, again, if you'd like to know more about what is going on in the investigation, you would have to ask the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office."
Yamamoto continued by asking the mayor if she had spoken with Andre and how he was doing, Thao laughed and said, "Again...you know, that is a personal question, and I will not answer a personal question."
Yamamoto then shifted his line of questioning to whether Jones has a role in her administration and if he was on the payroll as an advisor, Thao was adamant in her response.
"I think that's a really funny question. I think I heard that question for the first time yesterday, and absolutely not. I've been on the city council. He's never been on any payroll," she said. "That's really easy to confirm. He's hardly even been in my office. There's no truth to that at all. It's just rumors."
When Yamamoto pressed Thao on the issue, saying that people CBS News Bay Area had spoken with said Jones was a regular presence at city hall and even sat in on some safety meeting, When he asked if that was appropriate, she replied with a laugh.
"Again, I'm not going to address innuendos and rumors," said Thao. "And that's exactly what it is: rumors, gossip, innuendos."
Yamamoto then asked Thao about the claims her former chief of staff Renia Webb has made about Jones and his alleged involvement in "pay-to-play" schemes at Oakland City Hall.
When he said he would like to give Thao and opportunity to respond to those serious allegations, she replied, "They are very serious allegations. Again, not responding to rumors, innuendo, all of that. This is a person telling you a story. So, again, not addressing rumors."
When asked about her relationship to the Duong family, who also had a home and a business location searched in connection with the FBI raid, Thao said, "Well, as mayor, I meet with a lot of community members and business owners. I take pictures with them and I explore ways they can help the city. That's what mayors do. Elected officials, we all do that."
She then referred any specific questions about the FBI raid on the Duong family home and business to federal authorities. When asked if, in light of the investigation, she would consider returning any of the campaign money donated by the Duong family, Thao replied, "You know, at the end of the day, what I've been reading in the papers is that they donated to many, many people. What I can tell you is I follow the campaign's rules, and the campaign rule states that we cannot accept money from people that we are in contract with. And I can tell you, in my campaign in this office, we follow the rule to a T."
The mayor went on to say that she would "absolutely not" consider resigning in light of the controversy surrounding the raid and the ongoing efforts to recall her, noting that organizers have refused to comply with a subpoena demanding that the recall campaign be transparent about their top donors.
In closing, when she was asked who was paying her legal fees after the changeover in her representation last week, Thao said she that she planned to open a legal defense fund, but also said she was like "anybody else who has to pay for their attorney."