ANCHOR: The FBI has launched an investigation that seems to involve, in one way or the other, the son of Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah. Reporter David Henry is live on Logan Square. David, what are the details there?
DAVID HENRY: Jim, the FBI has no comment so far, but we have been able to confirm they raided a private condo near City Hall this morning, and also visited a law office in this building, both locations with connections to the son of Rep. Chaka Fattah.
Twenty-nine-year-old Chaka Fattah Jr. lives in a condo in this luxury high-rise in Center City. FBI agents removed items from the condo this morning. They also showed up at this law office at Logan Square. It’s the law office of politically connected attorney David Shulick. It’s also headquarters of Delaware Valley High School. And, Fattah also lists this as the address of his own consulting firm, called 259 Strategies. Among the services listed on his website are school negotiations and school management.
Delaware Valley High School is private school that contracts with local school districts to educate problem students. Shulick is the company president, and Fattah has in the past represented himself as the company’s director of development. DVHS has contracts with suburban districts and the school district of Philadelphia, which has paid it $6.5 million over the past two years. Shulick has courted local and national political figures over the years; that includes Rep. Fattah.
His spokesman says, "Obviously the Congressman stands by his son. However the Congressman and our office have no involvement in the matter."
Now just moments ago, I received a statement from David Shulick. He confirms the FBI was at his office, but he describes it as a mutual exchange of information. He says they simply turned over some files from Chaka Fattah Jr.’s office to the FBI—files that have nothing to do with any clients of the law firm. We also reached out to Chaka Fattah Jr., and we have not received a response from him.