Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser faced criticism over a pair of trips that are alleged to have taken place using taxpayer money during the month of May. Earlier in May, Bowser took a trip to The Masters that appeared on her public calendar of events as a “sports and economic development visit.” According to the mayor’s spokesperson, the mayor and her team were invited to the event by two women who are chairing a Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force.

As Fox 5 reports, one of those chairs is a CEO for EDENS, Jodie McLean. EDENS does millions of dollars in business in Washington, D.C. When Fox 5 reporter Stephanie Ramirez asked Bowser for additional clarification, she bristled, telling Ramirez, “We tried to be transparent, so I don’t know what questions you have that remain. We disclosed – I don’t know what questions you have that remain; we expect an invoice if it hasn’t – we haven’t received it yet from EDENS… I believe that the estimated costs were in the range of $5-$6,000 and that’s for air travel … per person.”

Bowser continued, defending her trip to Augusta National Golf Course, “Listen, voters have placed their trust in me to make the best decisions for the District for the last 15 years, including three elections as mayor. We made no secret about the fact that we make sports investments. We are the sports capital, and we are going to promote the District in every corner of the world, and that has been my experience as mayor.”

When Fox 5 asked about why the trip had so much secrecy around it, Bowser replied, “You know the reason why you know about the trip? Because it was on my public schedule. That’s not a secret.”

According to the Mayor’s public calendar, the next trip is described as an “economic mission” to the International Council of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas, which is being held from May 19-21. “On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Mayor Bowser will attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) LAS VEGAS to attract retail to the District of Columbia. This economic mission is coordinated by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, which has organized the District’s presence at ICSC since 2001.”

The mayor’s trips to the council of shopping centers have received scrutiny since at least 2017. At the time, D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) defended the trip, telling the Washington Post, “It’s great. D.C. has changed, and we can make a different pitch than we could make years ago. It used to be that we had to tell them about the vision of what D.C. could become. Now, everybody wants to come open a store in the District. Frankly, if we weren’t here, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs.”

Others, like Monica Kamen, then the co-director of the DC Fair Budget Commission, believed there was a better way for taxpayer money to be allocated, given the gentrification concerns in the District. Kamen told the Post, “There’s been a lot of development in D.C. that has led to massive gentrification and a rise in the cost of living, and we need to be looking at how we continue development without further displacing people. A week before the budget vote, I would hope that that is where most of their focus was — on how to maximize spending for those in need . . . not in Las Vegas talking about giving away too many tax dollars to retailers.”

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Throughout the procession, attendees said prayers, including the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

A crowd of more than 1,000 Catholics processed with the Eucharist through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on Saturday morning in spite of scattered rainfall throughout the event.

The Catholic Information Center’s (CIC) second annual Eucharistic procession — which took place just blocks from the White House — drew participation from priests, nuns and lay people from the area. The May 18 procession was nearly twice the size of last year’s procession on May 20. 

“People have shown their love for the Eucharist [by] showing up in this rainy weather,” Father Charles Trullols, the director of CIC, told CNA after the procession.

Father Trullols said he “wasn’t certain” whether the weather would reduce attendance, but surpassing last year’s turnout was “even more incredible because of the rain.” He added that bystanders who saw the procession appeared “so impressed” with the “beauty of the procession” and “the reverence of everyone praying.”

“[This procession] impacted so many souls,” Father Trullols added.

The event began with Mass inside CIC’s chapel, although a large portion of attendees viewed the Mass on a video displayed on a truck outside of the building as the whole crowd was not able to fit inside. 

Massgoers at the Eucharistic Procession in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, on May 18, 2024. Christina Herrera

This was followed by the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament on K Street and a recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph before the procession began down the road. 

The Blessed Sacrament is seen at the Eucharistic Procession in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on May 18, 2024. Christina Herrera

At the lead of the procession were the cross bearer and candle bearers, followed by religious sisters. After the sisters were children who have recently received their First Communion, and then the Blessed Sacrament itself inside of a monstrance and under a processional canopy. Behind the Eucharist were the priests, the choir and the lay faithful. 

Throughout the procession, attendees said prayers, including the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The faithful also sang various hymns and stopped at three stations to kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament where Trullols would read from the Gospel. 

One of the attendees — Joseph Duncan from McLean, Virginia — told CNA the procession was “amazing” and noted the importance of a procession near the White House during an election year: “[It can] bring a lot of grace to the country.”

The faithful kneel during the Eucharistic Procession in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on May 18, 2024. Christina Herrera

Brittany Baldwin, from Houston, Texas, told CNA the procession was “incredibly moving” and that she “choked up” during the procession and “watching people’s reactions was equally moving.” 

Baldwin, who said she also attended CIC’s procession last year, noted the growth in attendees and added: “I’m sure there would have been a lot more if it wasn’t for the rain.”

The CIC offers daily Mass on weekdays and regularly hosts informational events on Catholic theology and other Catholic issues. The organization also has a bookstore.

Washington DC’s woke Mayor Muriel Bowser will travel on a taxpayer-funded jaunt to Las Vegas with her team just hours from now.

It comes just weeks after the Democrat faced backlash for attending the lavish Masters golf tournament that cost $5,000 per person, Bowser personally revealed. 

The mayor will travel with a team of 14 on an ‘economic mission’ to the International Council of Shopping Centers at the Wynn Las Vegas on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to her public calendar.  

‘Mayor Bowser will attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) to attract retail to the District of Columbia,’ the description states.

‘This economic mission is coordinated by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, which has organized the District’s presence at ICSC since 2001,’ her office added in the event’s explanation. 

The Democrat will attend the trip to the Wynn Las Vegas with a team of fourteen

In a separate press release, the mayor’s office said ‘we know that Washingtonians in every part of DC want access to fantastic amenities. 

‘From the Lidl in Ward 7 to the Wegmans in Ward 3, those are conversations that started at ICSC.

The mayor’s team added, ‘Through programs like the Food Access Fund and the Neighborhood Prosperity Fund, we have made good progress in filling amenity gaps, but there is still more to do to ensure greater accessibility and equity – and filling those gaps and supporting the continued transformation of Downtown will be a focus of this trip.’

The traveling delegation’s aims for the trip are ‘expanding the Washington, D.C. brand’, ‘generating business leads for major development projects’, ‘fostering business relationships’ and ‘engaging with new prospects including retailers and brokers.’ 

Mayor Bowser faced intense scrutiny for using taxpayer money to fund a trip to one of the most exclusive sports events in the world, the US Masters in Augusta, Georgia, last week. 

The mayor’s official schedule said that on Saturday April 13, she would be traveling to the Peach state ‘as part of a sports and economic development visit.’

The communications director for Bowser’s office, Susan Castillo, told DC NewsNow this week that the mayor was invited by two people who are ‘spearheading’ a plan to rejuvenate two areas of the city.

Bowser was invited by the Task Force to Shape Future of Gallery Place/Chinatown Neighborhood chairs Jodie McLean and Deborah Ratner Salzberg, Castillo told the website. 

Bowser (pictured center) recently attended a lavish $5000 per person golf tournament

Bowser was there to see Scottie Scheffler win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club

Castillo went on to say that Bowser was willing to travel to any city or any country in the world in order to further her administration’s interests. 

WUSA reports that along for the ride with Bowser was senior advisor Beverly Perry and two other aides. 

The station reports that the purpose of the trip was also to capitalize on sports opportunities for the city that already plays host to five professional sports teams. 

Earlier this month, Bowser was roundly criticized after boasting that crime is down in D.C., compared to last year even though a recent string of violence has sent residents fleeing for Virginia and Maryland suburbs.

Despite an overall 13 percent dip this year January 1 through April 2 compared to the same time period last year, the District of Columbia is still experiencing a rise in crime compared to the norm in years prior to 2023.

It comes after 2023 was recorded as the deadliest year in more than two decades. D.C. also had the largest spike in violent crime out of any other major U.S. city.

Mayor Muriel Bowser faced backlash earlier this month for praising a decrease in crime from the second quarter in 2023 to 2024, but residents claim they do feel any safer and many are fleeing to Virginia and Maryland suburbs to escape the violence and threats

Overall violent crime is down but the MPD notes that the statistics for 2024 are ‘preliminary’ and subject to change throughout the year as more information becomes available

While some stats are down from 2023, there is still a general upwards trend from years prior. One of the largest crime statistics in D.C. are a result of carjackings, which reached an all-time-high in 2023 but is down 31% so far this year

From January 1 through April 2 last year to this year there was a 13% decrease in overall crime – after a record-high crime year in 2023 in Washington, D.C. 

Tiffany Henyard, 40, of Dolton, Illinois, has repeatedly been dubbed America’s Worst Mayor

While data does reveal a decrease between the specific time period last year to this year, residents are sharing an overall sentiment that crime is on the rise and they are feeling increasingly less safe in D.C. neighborhoods.

As evident, a person was robbed at gunpoint just blocks from the Hart Senate Office Building in April by two individuals, at least one of which was armed with a gun.

Whilst frustrations may run high with DC’s mayor, it is Dalton, Illinois who claim to have ‘America’s worst mayor.’

Mayor Tiffany Henyard is under federal investigation, and was recently served federal subpoenas seeking records about trips taken by city officials and potential financial mismanagement.

A trip to Las Vegas in 2023 was allegedly one of several taxpayer funded jaunts Henyard took that totaled over $102,000. 

Since her election in 2021, Henyard has faced allegations of corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement, including a lawsuit filed a month ago claiming she worked to cover-up a sexual assault on the trip to Las Vegas. 

The 40-year-old municipal leader has developed a reputation for her confrontational antics, failure to do her job, alleged corruption and apparent disdain for her constituents, whom she has berated publicly and once with the assistance of a DJ.