As Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration finally unlocked to the press the controversial City Hall “gift room” Monday, tours revealed what lies inside: Quirky, but generally low-value souvenirs filling metal shelves in a cramped closet space.
The cache of gifts offered to Johnson and accepted on behalf of the city consisted mostly of T-shirts, hats, drawings and plaques. By opening the door to the room, Johnson is hoping to shut the door on reproving speculation swirling for a month and a half about his gift-accepting policies and the high-end swag reportedly to be found inside.
It remains to be seen whether letting people see the contents of the room quiets criticism that the mayor has not properly accounted for the gifts his administration has received.
The mayor’s administration invited the Tribune to see the room Monday, less than a week after the controversy featured briefly in Washington when a Republican congressman questioned Johnson about the gifts.
Inside the room, three mugs included photos of the mayor. A Palestinian keffiyeh was folded inside a stack of clothes. A white basketball signed by legendary Michigan State coach Tom Izzo stood across from a customized “Johnson” Bulls jersey, naturally number 23. A framed photo of the mayor and former President Joe Biden rested between them.
There were about a dozen ties, two tubs of shea butter conditioner, four drawings depicting Johnson, six stacks of books and three pairs of shoes that showed no signs of wear on their soles.
The stash also included a bottle of Czech white wine currently available for $15 at Binny’s Beverage Depot, a mini bottle of Don Julio tequila and a packaged bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne apparently accepted by Johnson, who does not drink alcohol.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg reported in late January that Johnson violated Chicago’s ethics policies by blocking public access to the room and failing to properly log gift information. In the six weeks since, the mayor has shot back at the allegations of impropriety, but up until now had prevented journalists and members of the public from going inside to see the gifts themselves.
The saga followed Johnson to Capitol Hill last week as he testified in front of the House Oversight Committee. The hearing was intended to focus on Chicago and other cities’ sanctuary status, but Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill zeroed in on the mysteriousness of the presents.
Gill questioned Johnson about who gave several reported gifts, like a Montblanc pen and a Kate Spade purse, before saying the gifts “raise serious ethical concerns.”
“You’re providing an enormous amount of aid to illegal aliens, aiding and abetting criminals who have come into our country illegally, and you yourself are receiving an enormous amount of gifts and you won’t even tell us who they are coming from,” Gill said.
Johnson released new guidelines for the gift room and an online gift log in mid-February, though information on who gave the pen and purse was not included.
The exasperated mayor has repeatedly tried to shrug off questions about the room as his team denied reporters access and instead shared a grainy, 20-second video of the collection that appeared identical to what was on display Monday. But with the controversy not dying down, he decided to change tack and let reporters see inside.
Mayoral staffers overseeing the tours suspected a Gucci crossbody bag hanging in a corner was inauthentic. Lori Lypson, deputy mayor of Infrastructure and Services, said overseeing the room was among the most unusual assignments she has had.
“Not the most interesting,” she added.
Only a few City Hall staffers have access to the locked room, Lypson said. She said members of the public will be able to sign up quarterly for slots to view the room, another new pivot for Johnson’s team in handling the sticky controversy. The 15-minute entry windows will become available on a first-come, first-serve basis next week.
Johnson’s administration will also regularly donate gifts, Lypson said.
“We’ll give the cups away, probably to a food kitchen. Some of the books will go probably to Chicago Public Libraries or one of the schools he goes to,” she said.
Lypson speculated that people like to give the mayor gifts because “they want to give a little piece of themselves.”
“I guess people just love Chicago,” she said. “And they just want him to be a part of that.”
A Johnson spokesperson said there was a delay in granting access to the gift room, which the administration referred to as the “Gift Inventory Area,” because such a request had not been made in recent years and it took time to organize the space and ensure accessibility compliance.
