In this episode of "Try to Control Your Shock and Amazement"...

Chicago City Hall has released a video of its "gift room" after a watchdog group accused embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting valuable gifts. 

Even more "shocking," the release of the video comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them, including jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags, and size 14 men’s shoes, prompting ethical concerns.

Why I never. Say it ain't so, Mr. Mayor!

The city also announced new protocols for receiving gifts, along with a written log containing 18 pages of items, including their location and the organization that donated the gifts currently inside the "gift room." 

The new protocol, which went into effect on Tuesday, notes that officials must report and properly log gifts within 10 days, store gifts in a designated area that can be viewed publicly via video recording quarterly, and donate excessive gifts.

According to a statement from Johnson's office:

These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City.

Please. Let's just cut to the chase and call it Johnson's grift room — and proceed from there.

As reported by WTTV in Chicago, the 21-second video, posted to the mayor’s YouTube page, slowly pans around a small room stuffed with artwork, coffee mugs, shoes, baseball caps, T-shirts, awards, plaques, and books on shelves lining three walls. The report added:

But the video makes it impossible to identify all but the largest items, including what appears to be the NASCAR tracksuit Johnson wore when he kicked off the NASCAR Chicago Street Race in July.

It is unclear whether Hugo Boss cufflinks; Givenchy, Gucci, and Kate Spade handbags; a personalized Mont Blanc pen; and size 14 men’s shoes, remain stored in the gift room as required, based on the video.

Uh-huh. I'm gonna go out on a (safe) limb and bet that the stuff listed in the last paragraph has vamoosed. 

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg told WTTW News the video raises “more questions than answers."

I’m not sure there is a great deal of comfort to be taken from the video. These items belong to the city of Chicago and ought to be accessible to the public to which they belong. There are some things visible in the video which are maybe recognizable, but I don't know that anybody is in a position to look at that video and find the pair of Hugo Boss cuff links or the personalized Montblanc pen. I don't know that it lends itself to that. I'm not sure whether it's intended to.

Witzburg added: "A 20-second video is “not a substitute for public access to public property."

Oh, c'mon, Ms. Witzburg! The put-upon mayor is doing the best job he can for (to) the people of Chicago! 

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Witzburg also said she's "deeply concerned" that even gifts logged in the last several days have no information about the givers.

Here's more from WTTW:

Witzburg released an audit two weeks ago revealing that Johnson’s office accepted pricey items on behalf of the city without properly reporting them as required. Neither Witzburg nor members of the news media, including WTTW News, have been allowed to inspect the gift room, as Witzburg said is required by city ordinance.

“I’m not sure there is a great deal of comfort to be taken from the video,” Witzburg said. “These items belong to the city of Chicago and ought to be accessible to the public to which they belong.”

The concern — and strong implication — is that the so-called "gift room" might contain items given or received with the intention of affecting city government decisions or actions, Witzburg explained. 

We can't have a ‘for sale’ sign on the door to City Hall. The city's ethics rules contain these requirements on gifts, and there are very clear rules on how to handle gifts accepted on behalf of the city.

I can see Brandon Johnson smugly smiling to himself and saying under his breath: "Says who?"