Eleanor Holmes Norton, the longest-serving delegate for Washington, D.C., in the US Congress, was defrauded of thousands of dollars by individuals purporting to be a cleaning crew, according to police. The 88-year-old Democrat fell victim to the scam at her home on Thursday, with suspects charging over $4,000 to her credit card for work that was never completed, local news outlet NBC4 first reported.
A police report obtained by NBC4 stated that Norton is in the “early stages of dementia”, a claim her office has strongly denied. “The medical diagnosis included in the police report was based on an assumption the reporting officer was unqualified to make,” a statement from Norton’s office said. The incident was reported to police by Norton’s long-time aide, Jacqueline Pelt.
Norton’s office confirmed the congresswoman is safe and that fraudulent charges have been reported to the police and her bank. “She thanks MPD [Metropolitan Police Department] and Capitol Police for their quick response,” the statement added. Norton, the oldest member of the House, has held her seat since 1991 and has indicated she will seek re-election next year, stating: “I am not going to step aside.”
Donna Brazile, former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee and Norton’s former campaign manager, recently called for her to step down, writing in an op-ed that she is “no longer the dynamo she once was”. D.C. Councilmember Robert White, a former staffer of Norton’s who is running for her seat, expressed deep upset over the incident, calling it a “cruel” fraud.
