Leslie Johnson, the wife of Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson whom the feds say stuffed nearly $80,000 in cash in her bra and flushed a $100,000 check down the toilet to try and hide evidence, could still take the seat she was elected to on the County Council despite the federal charges pending against her.
Not so fast, say current and incoming members of the council who have joined critics in calling for Johnson to step aside.
Now the Washington Post editorial board too is calling on her to step aside, writing that while there is no law banning Johnson from taking the seat in December, it “would be in the county’s interest for her to give up the post.”
The outlandish charges in the document have made Prince George’s County fodder for comedy shows and state Republicans alike.
“Just one week after being caught with more money in her undergarments than most Marylanders make in a year, her failure to resign continues to plague a county that has endured enough scandal this year,” Maryland Republican Party Chairwoman Audrey Scott said.
Leslie Johnson’s lawyer told the Associated Press that Johnson is asking for prayers and support “through the ordeal of fighting to disprove the allegations that are pending against her now.”
Meanwhile, residents have started an online petition calling on Johnson to resign. Since the arrests, a state delegate who represents residents in the Hyattsville section of Prince George’s County has picked up support for a law which would close a loophole allowing politicians in the county to receive donations from developers through shared accounts.
Johnson’s campaign website is still up and running, but comments have been banned on her Facebook page.
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