Bobby Henon Won’t Answer Any Questions About the FBI’s Raid of His Office

Photo via City Council’s Flickr

Two Fridays ago, the FBI stormed into City Councilman Bobby Henon’s office and packaged up a bunch of … stuff? Files? Receipts? Correspondence? Hard to say.

It was August 5th, the same day the FBI raided the home of John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty as well as the headquarters of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, the union that Doc runs. Henon, who’s been a Councilman since 2012, came up through the Local 98 ranks and still pulls down a salary from the union as an adviser.

So, inquiring minds have been wondering, what’s the story? Has the councilman been interviewed by the FBI? What about his staff? What did the FBI take from his office?

When we asked him that over email, his spokeswoman told us that Henon is not answering any questions about the investigation “at this time.” She only gave us this statement from him: “My office has been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement. I am not able to discuss specifics, but I want to remind folks that my offices are open and ready to serve the residents of the 6th District and all Philadelphians.”

That’s the same statement Henon’s office sent out last week after no-commenting another news outlet, the Northeast Times, and it leaves basically every question we have unanswered. Is Henon going to keep that job with Local 98 even as the investigation unfolds? Is his position as Council’s majority leader threatened after the raid on his office? And, again, has he been interviewed by the FBI?

You’d think that Henon would want to jump out ahead of this issue, considering the region’s political establishment is sort of going up in flames around him at the moment. The same day of the raids, when Mayor Jim Kenney’s name was mentioned in connection with the investigation in an Inquirer article, his office was quick to say publicly that neither Kenney nor any staff members had been questioned by the feds. Henon has made no such statement. But he assures you it’s business as usual in the 6th District.

https://twitter.com/BobbyHenon/status/765922076595224576

The public deserves some answers from the Councilman. Maybe we’ll keep asking until we get them.

Follow @JaredBrey on Twitter.