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The Maryland mayor charged on Thursday with 56 child pornography-related charges has visited the White House several times since President Biden took office and previously described Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as his mentor.
College Park, Maryland, Mayor Patrick Wojahn resigned Wednesday night ahead of being arrested by Prince George's County police Thursday on 40 counts of possession of child pornography and 16 counts of distributing child pornography
Wojahn, a Democrat, said in his resignation letter that he would "cooperate with law enforcement" and did not wish to serve as a distraction.
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Then-South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, with then-College Park, Maryland, Mayor Patrick Wojahn. Wojahn was arrested and charged with 56 child pornography-related counts on Thursday. (Twitter screenshot/Fox News Digital)
"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," he said.
While the population of College Park is less than 40,000, its proximity to Washington, D.C., has allowed Wojahn, who has been College Park’s mayor since 2015, to rub elbows with several powerful politicians, including a top Biden cabinet official, and make multiple visits to the White House.
According to White House visitor logs, Wojahn visited the White House once in 2021 on June 25. He would then make two more visits in 2022 on June 15 and Sept. 13. According to Wojahn’s Instagram and the White House website, Wojahn was in attendance at an event "Commemorating LGBTQ+ Pride Month." Pictures from his Instagram show Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg giving remarks for the event.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson told Fox News Digital the "allegations against former College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn are extremely disturbing, and 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 continued.
In one Instagram post from June 25, which included two pictures, Wojahn posed for pictures with Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten. The caption reads, "Always great to see these guys at the White House!!"
Wojahn credited Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's "mentorship" for advancing his career. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
The other two White House events he attended were a "Pride Month Reception," which included a "Signing of an Executive Order on Advancing LGBTQI+ Individuals," and a ceremony celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
In addition to the three visits listed on the White House website, Wojahn made three additional visits in December 2022 and January 2023, which will not be released on the White House website until March 30 and April 30. On Dec. 11, he posted several pictures of the White House interior, which included Christmas decorations and a caption that read, "Happy holidays! Enjoyed the opportunity tonight to see the stunning ‘We the People’ holiday decorations and celebrate the season!" Another post that he was tagged in on Instagram revealed that he was at the White House when Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act two days later on Dec. 13.
The January 2023 visit occurred on Jan. 20 and involved the United States Conference of Mayors, when White House officials touted "historic investment in cities." Wojahn’s tweet shows multiple top Biden administration officials, including Biden’s senior adviser Gene Sperling.
In addition to his White House visits, he has also posted pictures with several Democratic lawmakers on social media, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, former DNC chair Tom Perez and Buttigieg, among others.
In a September 2020 Instagram post, Wojahn thanked President Biden for his "leadership" and included a picture of a Zoom call that Biden was leading with the United States Conference of Mayors. In January 2022, he tweeted praise for Biden and the American Rescue Plan and claimed, "It's already been making a difference in the lives of many people by enabling us to provide relief to residents in need and support local businesses."
"And it will help us to make critical infrastructure investments," he added. "This would never have happened without leadership from Biden."
Wojahn is also a political mentee of Buttigieg, noting their friendship in an interview with LGBT news site the Washington Blade.
"I actually met Mayor Pete Buttigieg shortly after I was elected mayor in 2015. I went to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in D.C. in January, and he was assigned to be my buddy," Wojahn said.
After meeting, the two chatted on the phone regularly, and Buttigieg gave Wojahn tips on what to expect ahead of the mayoral conference.
The pair would meet again in person during an Obama White House reception after the conference where Wojahn's husband, Dave Kolesar, would meet Chasten. Buttigieg would continue to mentor Wojahn through the conference.
"I now serve in a leadership role as vice chair of city livability and bicycling in part due to his mentorship," Wojahn said.
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According to the Federal Election Commission website, Wojahn has also donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and committees, including $200 to Biden’s 2020 campaign, $500 to Raskin’s House campaign in 2016, $250 to Buttigieg’s Win the Era PAC, and over $1,000 to the Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns.
A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital they "cannot comment on an active criminal matter."
"But of course, such behavior is abhorrent," the spokesperson said.
Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
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