Though he sounded (disliking people, distrustful of humanity)
in interviews, his private actions were surprisingly (selfless, focused on helping others)
:
he donated anonymously to families after the flood to (ease, relieve)
their grief, and later met community leaders to (calm, placate)
anger about delayed aid. When reporters asked whether officials had acted negligently, his answer was deliberately
(ambiguous, open to more than one interpretation)
,
so commentators filled the gap with (a guess based on limited evidence, speculation)
.
After a clear (violation, moral wrongdoing)
by one contractor was revealed, the mayor offered a narrow, (short-sighted, lacking long-term perspective)
defense that satisfied no one. Auditors then produced receipts and call logs to (confirm with evidence, support)
the allegations, but the accused remained (stubborn, unyielding)
and refused to admit wrongdoing.