Barry Admits ‘Poor Judgment’

Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr., under federal investigation for visiting the hotel room of a former city employee suspected of drug dealing, said Friday: “I’m guilty of poor judgment, no question about it.”

Barry denied that he used drugs and said he would submit to a drug test “under the right conditions”--but not a series of tests--to try to erase what he acknowledged is an embarrassment to the nation’s capital.

His New Year’s resolution is “to be a better mayor,” Barry told a panel of reporters in an interview on a public television station. “This human being stands here ready to say I’m sorry for the poor judgments that have happened to me.”

The Justice Department has announced that it would aggressively investigate whether Barry has committed a crime stemming from his relationship with Charles Lewis, a former employee of the District of Columbia government.

Two detectives were recalled from a hotel as they were attempting to make an undercover drug purchase from Lewis last week. At the time, Barry reportedly was visiting Lewis in his room.