Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is facing accusations of corruption over suspicious sales of her "Healthy Holly" book for children, and she has taken a leave of absence during the scandal.

The books themselves are hardly controversial. The main character simply encourages kids to exercise and eat healthy food.

The controversy comes from the sale of the books to the University of Maryland Medical System to the tune of $500,000. Pugh was serving on their board as a public official when the sale was approved.

She then neglected to report her "Healthy Holly" business on ethics forms.

Pugh has taken leave from her office, saying that she is battling pneumonia, but many suspect that is an excuse in order to avoid questions about the controversy.

David Zurawik, the media critic of the Baltimore Sun, called the scandal "humiliating" and "ugly" for the city of Baltimore. He also said that Republican partisans were using the moment in order to criticized decades-long Democratic rule of the city.

Zurawik also said that Pugh sounded distinctly "Trumpian" in her attacks on the media where she called the investigation a "witch hunt."

"In 2016 we elected Catherine Pugh mayor, and it has been downhill since," Zurawik said, "it's been nothing but trouble and error."

Here's the latest on the scandal in Baltimore: