Members of Charlotte City Council respond to alleged accusations of “criminal activity”

CHARLOTTE, NC — Dissension in the ranks. At a news conference on Wednesday, members of Charlotte City Council addressed accusations from one of their own at

“Let me assure you, there is no illegal activity or corruption going on in our city,” said councilwoman Dimple Ajmera.

According to council members, Charlotte City Councilwoman Victoria Watlington sent out an email to supporters saying she is concerned with unethical, immoral, and illegal activities happening within City government. But didn’t give specific examples.

“Words like unethical, immoral, illegal activities, disregard for dissenting opinions in the rule of law. They matter a lot. They echo outside of the building,” said councilman Malcolm Graham.

Graham also talked about a leak inside the council, without naming names. This comes as reports have come out that the council had a closed door meeting allegedly to pay out CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings who was threatening legal action against the city. It stemmed from a back and forth between the chief and former councilman Tariq Bokhari.

A majority of council members present at the news conference showed support for Jennings.

“The chief was publicly attacked by a former council member who stated his intent was to damage his reputation and end his career. I owe the chief an apology for not publicly supporting him then,” said Mayor Vi Lyles.

We reached out to Watlington for comment. She has not responded.