D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said he’s saddened by D.C. Council Chairman and mayoral hopeful Vince Gray’s call for Nickles to be fired.

“I think it’s very sad,” Nickles told The Washington Examiner. “I consider Vince Gray a friend. We’ve had a lot of meetings together over the last few years… I guess it’s the political season.”

In a statement released Thursday, Gray said Nickles had acted as a “hatchet man” for Mayor Adrian Fenty, particularly when it came to the recently reached settlement between the District and Banneker Ventures on a canceled parks and recreation contract. The council has called a hearing on the settlement for Friday and is trying to stop payments to Banneker in an effort to scuttle the agreement.

On Wednesday, council members said the settlement would close the door to any civil lawsuits if an independent investigator determines there was fraud.

But Nickles said Thursday that if there’s fraud, the city will still have the right to sue. Nickles has sent a letter to the investigator saying he will share all of the exchanges between his office and Banneker’s attorneys regarding the settlement.