David Catania Won't Apologize For His 'Despicable' Marion Barry Comments

WASHINGTON -- District of Columbia Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large) is standing by the harsh words he used to describe his colleague Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) in a recent incident that prompted Chairman Kwame Brown (D) to introduce a resolution that would ban profanity during the council's public proceedings.

At a Valentine's Day retreat, Catania called the former mayor "a despicable human being" and "full of s***." This in turn erupted into a larger shouting match where expletives were hurled between the councilmembers.

As The Washington Post's Tim Craig relayed via Twitter:

Catania mocked Brown's anti-profanity measure, saying that the chairman seems more interested in banning curse words than taking effective steps to curb public corruption.

It's a point that the D.C. Republican Party has hit on as well.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, local Republican Party Committee Chairman Bob Kabel said:

Kwame's idea of forcing his Council colleagues to act like adults shouldn't require an act of the Council, unless it includes term limits and ending pay-to-play. The reason why the Council is dysfunctional and they have no moral compass are for the same reasons why they allowed disgraced Councilmember Harry Thomas to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the District Treasury.

Thomas, who previously represented Ward 5, pleaded guilty to charges related to stealing more than $350,000 in city funds through a non-profit organization he controlled.

As DCist reports, Brown's resolution would mandate that "a Councilmember shall treat other Councilmembers with dignity and respect, and refrain from using profane, indecent, or abusive language directed at another Councilmember or the Council as an institution."

Photo by Flickr user dbking