This week on Q&A, our guest is Washington Post columnist Colbert King. He discusses his twenty-two year career at The Washington Post and details the current political situation within the government of Washington, DC. He describes the resignation of the District of Columbia’s City Council Chairman, Kwame Brown after pleading guilty to felony bank fraud and campaign violations. He talks about the jailing of another City Council member, Harry Thomas Jr., after he admitted guilt for theft of funds and filing a false income tax return. King describes the historical evolution of local government in the District of Columbia, along with the troubled history of past administrations including the arrest and conviction of former Mayor Marion Barry in 1990. He details recent charges of campaign irregularities surrounding the incumbent Mayor of Washington, DC Vincent Gray.
Colbert King was born in Washington, DC and attended Howard University. Early in his career he was a bank vice president, U.S. executive director of the World Bank, a deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury Department, and a State Department diplomat stationed at the U.S. embassy in Bonn. He joined the Washington Post editorial board in 1990 and served as deputy editorial page editor from 2000 to 2007. He is married to Gwendolyn Stewart King, live in the District of Columbia and has three adult sons.