( CINCINNATI, OH ) -- At Cincinnati City Hall, city councilman Charlie Winburn held a press conference to explain why boxes of his were confiscated and then returned.
It was originally reported that the FBI had raided councilman Winburn's office and taken multiple boxes as he was the subject of an investigation, possibly involving the Metropolitan Sewer District. It was said that the boxes were taken after his aid attempted to take them out of City Hall in the middle of the night.
In the press conference, councilman Winburn showed what the boxes contained to a room full of press and supporters of his. He also revealed that his office was never raided and boxes were never taken from his office. He revealed that the boxes were put in the basement of City Hall by his aid, with the permission of the janitor, until she could empty them and then dispose of them. Inside the boxes were old newspapers, notes, books, and other items.
Councilman Winburn said that the city solicitor's office were the ones who notified Cincinnati police, who then confiscated the boxes from the basement. They then handed to boxes over the FBI to, as councilman Winburn said, avoid a conflict of interest. The FBI then handed the boxes over to the office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who said there would be no investigation because the boxes contained nothing of interest.
In the press conference, councilman Winburn said that he believes the entire incident was blown out of proportion by "sensationalized reporting" from the media and said that it was all politically motivated.
Councilman Winburn did not say whether or not he would be running for mayor, but he did say that because there are rumors of him getting into the race, his potential opponents were doing this to besmirch him. Councilman Wendell Young, who has thrown his support behind Yvette Simpson in the mayoral race, showed up at the press conference.
Video of the Press Conference:
Photo Gallery from the Press Conference:
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