HONOLULU -- Hawaii U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said that accusations of possible corruption in the contracting process could threaten the city's rail transit project.

Two public relations companies said the city illegally gave most of the public relations work to a friend of Mayor Mufi Hannemann's.

Councilman Charles Djou took the complaint to the federal government.

Abercrombie said Thursday that Djou was grandstanding in hopes of derailing the project.

"What I'm hoping it'll do is that, if this is grandstanding, that it gets pointed out and this kid goes back in his corner and tries to do something useful," Abercrombie said.

"My point is not to derail the rail project. My point here is to make sure we spend taxpayer money and that we are not wasting this taxpayer money and not giving it away illegally," Djou said.

The Hannemann administration said no law was broken when it changed the public relations subcontractors. Officials said the contract was handled the same as others like it.