Former DC council member who went to prison for bribery launches bid for Congress

A former Washington, D. C. council member who was convicted in 2013 of bribery when in office is now running to become a member of Congress.

The ex-District lawmaker, Michael A. Brown, is trying to unseat fellow Democrat Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

A D.C. delegate can vote on bills in committee but cannot participate in final votes.  

The primary is in June. 

The 86-year-old Norton will be running for an 18th term, Axios reports.

When Brown was on the D.C. council, he was charged with bribery for taking $55,000 in cash payments from undercover FBI investigators who were posed as representatives of a company that attempted to do business with the District. 

He was sentenced to prison in 2014 and was released in early 2016.

Brown told The Post that one of his top issues is making sure small businesses in D.C. don't get poached. 

“We are under attack,” he told the outlet. “Not just on Capitol Hill, but from the surrounding jurisdictions outwardly trying to take our businesses. And we have to put up a fight.”