WASHINGTON — A D.C. lieutenant is under intense scrutiny, placed on administrative leave as the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI investigate potential misconduct that DC Police Chief Robert Contee is being tight-lipped about.
In a news conference Wednesday, Contee said the lieutenant is on administrative leave, but won't say who the high-ranking officer is or where the investigation is heading.
Sources tell WUSA9, however, this is over potential ties to white supremacists.
Other officers on the force say they were taken aback because this is a highly trusted leader within the intelligence division of MPD.
Questions were raised at Wednesday's news conference about whether this has any connection to the Jan. 6 investigation.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed Thursday that the investigation did have something to do with the investigations surrounding the incidents of Jan. 6.
"I don't know specifically," she stated, adding that there are no ongoing concerns about the possibility of potential affiliations being widespread within the department.
Contee pumped the brakes there and said he couldn't respond to questions regarding the investigation and any potential Jan. 6 affiliations. Current and former law enforcement officials are asking for patience.
"Based upon my review, of those concerns, I have decided to put one of our members in an administrative leave status," Contee said Wednesday.
But there's been no indictment and the investigation continues
Tom Warrick, a former senior Homeland Security official, urges caution and patience, drawing on his extensive experience investigating links to extremists.
"I learned, from direct experience, you have got to let these investigations play themselves out and you have to devote the resources necessary to get to the bottom of these stories," Warrick said. "One of the things I learned, having been responsible for the programs that brought Iraqi and Afghan translators to the United States -- Many times, you would get these cases that are really hard. Where, somebody who you thought was a loyal ally and partner, all of a sudden has unexplained ties to extremist groups. And what we discovered was, it takes diligent investigative work because many times, those contacts with extremist groups turn out to have extremely plausible, logical explanations."
So that plays into why so few specifics were revealed today, MPD officials say, because these investigations are so delicate.