Maryland Mayor Arrested on Child-Porn Charges Visited White House at Least Six Times

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A Maryland mayor who was recently arrested on 56 child pornography related-charges has visited the Biden White House at least six times since June 2021, according to a new report.

Democrat Patrick Wojahn resigned from his role as the mayor of College Park, Md., on Wednesday, shortly before he was arrested on 40 counts of possession of child pornography and 16 counts of distributing child pornography.

Law enforcement began investigating Wojahn after the National Center for Missing and Exploited children notified Prince George’s County police of a suspicious social-media account that was ultimately attributed to the mayor. Police searched his home in late February and seized multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet, and a computer.

Wojahn, who had overseen the city of 35,000 people since 2015, first visited the White House on June 25, 2021 for an event “Commemorating LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” Fox News reported. He posted pictures to Instagram posing alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Buttigieg’s husband with the caption, “Always great to see these guys at the White House.”

The mayor described Buttigieg as his political mentor during an interview with the Washington Blade in November 2019. He said he met Buttigieg, who was then the mayor of South Bend, Ind., when he was assigned to be Wojahn’s “buddy” at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in January 2015. The pair then began speaking on the phone regularly with Buttigieg offering Wojahn tips on what to expect of the mayoral conference. The pair bonded over the challenges of being openly gay mayors, according to the report.

A Department of Transportation called the allegations against Wojahn “extremely disturbing” in a statement to Fox News, adding “we’re thankful local law enforcement has intervened.”

“The Secretary did not know the former Mayor well, but did meet him a number of times through participation in U.S. Conference of Mayors programming, conferences and political events,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Wojahn visited the White House again on June 15, 2022 for a “Pride Month Reception,” in which Biden signed an “Executive Order on Advancing LGBTQI+ Individuals.” Another visit on September 12, 2022 was for a ceremony celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Wojahn also visited three more times between December 2022 and January 2023, according to the report.

On December 11 he posted pictures of the Christmas decorations inside the White House and wrote, “Happy holidays! Enjoyed the opportunity tonight to see the stunning ‘We the People’ holiday decorations and celebrate the season!” Two days later he was tagged in another post from Biden’s December 13 signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act.

Wojahn visited again on January 20 for an event involving the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The White House said it “cannot comment on an active criminal matter” in a statement to Fox News but said, “of course, such behavior is abhorrent.”

The disgraced former mayor, who donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and committees, has also posted pictures with a number of Democratic lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Represenative Jamie Raskin of Maryland and former DNC chair Tom Perez.

Chief of Police Malik Aziz said Wojahn could face additional charges as police continue their investigation, WTOP reported.

In announcing his resignation on Wednesday, Wojahn did not address the allegations against him.

“While this investigation does not involve any official city business of any kind, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and serve as a distraction,” he wrote.

“Many of you have already reached out with well wishes and thoughts, and I am eternally grateful,” he added. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health. I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayer.”

The city will hold a special election to replace Wojahn within 65 days.

More from National Review