Kilpatrick and Beatty text-messaging scandal

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The Kilpatrick and Beatty text-messaging scandal is a political-sex scandal emerging from a sexual relationship between Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) and his chief of staff Christine Beatty. The revelation of this extra-marital affair was confirmed in text messages exchanged between Kilpatrick and Beatty. The text messages appear to contradict testimony that Kilpatrick and Beatty gave at a trial in 2007 in regards to whether they had an affair and had fired an officer for investigating the mayor's behavior. The City of Detroit settled the lawsuit for $8.4 million based on the recommendation of Kilpatrick and the City of Detroit law department.

The news has led to Beatty resigning in February 2008 and political leaders and citizens calling for Kilpatrick to resign. An investigation led to the filing of charges against Kilpatrick and Beatty on March 24, 2008, with more charges possible against others.

Contents 1 Text-messages 2 Repercussions 3 Criminal trial 4 Kilpatricks's public statements 5 Citations

[edit] Text-messages

In January 2008, The Detroit Free Press examined and revealed the existence of more than 14,000 text messages exchanged between Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) and his then chief of staff Christine Beatty on their city issued SkyTel pagers between September–October 2002 and April–May 2003. The dates are of importance because they encompass the time periods of an alleged party at the mayoral Manoogian Mansion and the ouster of Gary Brown respectively.^[1]

The text messages are the nucleus of an $8.4 million secret deal settlement by the city of Detroit. The attorneys for the city had tried since 2004 to keep the text messages hidden on the basis that they were personal and private communications.^[1] However, a city directive re-authorized by Kilpatrick during his first term as mayor indicates that all electronic communication sent on city equipment should be "used in an honest, ethical, and legal manner" and cautions, "is not considered to be personal or private."^[2] The mayor's spokesman said the policy only applies to city-owned equipment and the text-messages are exempt since they were sent on a city-leased device.^[2]

Kilpatrick and Beatty, both married at the time to other people, did discuss city business; however, many of the series of messages describe not a professional relationship but an extramarital sexual relationship between the two, often in graphic detail. The text messages further describe their use of city funds to arrange romantic getaways, their fears of being caught by the mayor's police protection unit, and evidence the pair conspired to fire Detroit Police Chief Gary Brown.^[1]

In an August 2007 trial, Kilpatrick and Beatty both under oath denied that they had a sexual relationship or that they fired Brown. The text messages contradict their sworn testimony with such messages as:

Beatty: "And, did you miss me, sexually?"
Kilpatrick: "Hell yeah! You couldn't tell. I want some more."^[1]

and

Beatty: "I'm sorry that we are going through this mess because of a decision that we made to fire Gary Brown. I will make sure that the next decision is much more thought out. Not regretting what was done at all. But thinking about how we can do things smarter."
Kilpatrick: "It had to happen though. I'm all the way with that!"^[1]

Kilpatrick issued a brief statement indicating that he and his wife had worked through the issue of infidelity years ago.^[1] However, WXYZ-TV discovered that only two days earlier, after a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day prayer breakfast, Kilpatrick stayed at a the Grove Park Inn in Ashville, North Carolina with a second individual, and spent time with a woman who went by the name "Carmen Slowski." The resort confirmed that Slowski was not Kilpatrick's wife.^[3] Records showed that while at the spa they shared a "Couple’s Retreat" one-hour massage and afterward the session continued with the serving of expensive champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries for the two to enjoy from the warmth of an aromatic whirlpool bath.^[4] The resorts records stated that Kilpatrick was lodging with a woman who used the name of Carmen Slowsky; a name similar to the fictional character in a TV ad for high-speed internet service.^[5]

On April 29, 2008, Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo Jr. ruled that secret documents retrieved from Mike Stefani's computer were public records under the Freedom of Information Act, and were to be released. The documents, which suggest a cover-up regarding the firing of three Detroit police officers, contain evidence that will be used in the perjury case against Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty.

Inside the documents are records of text-messages retrieved from Beatty and Kilpatrick's city issued Skytel pagers.

Sexually graphic conversations, racial slurs, profanity, and discussions regarding the extramarital affair between Beatty and Kilpatrick, amongst other things, appear in the messages.^[6]

[edit] Repercussions

Beatty resigned as chief of staff amid allegations that she and the mayor lied under oath about an affair.^[7] She also left Wayne State Law School, where she was studying for a Juris Doctor degree. Kilpatrick resigned from the Florida A&M University foundation board, but has repeatedly said he will not resign as mayor of Detroit.^[8][9]

The Detroit City Council has ordered Kilpatrick, Beatty, and a coterie of lawyers to testify before the council on their involvement in the $8.4 million settlement.^[10] The council is also considering passing a resolution to ask Kilpatrick to voluntarily resign as mayor. State law does not give the council power to remove Kilpatrick; however, the council can send the resolution to Governor Jennifer Granholm and request that she remove Kilpatrick from the office of mayor.^[11]

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Kilpatrick should resign because "Over the past month, every time Mayor Kilpatrick has been given a choice between coming clean and making amends on the one hand and deception and further concealment on the other hand, Mayor Kilpatrick has chosen deception and concealment ..."^[12] Detroit business leaders which include Dave Bing, a longtime Kilpatrick supporter informed him that he is losing credibility in the business community.^[13]

A recall petition was approved but then reversed because the petitioner, city council candidate Douglas Johnson residency in Detroit could not be verified.^[14] Johnson also requested in a sworn affidavit that Granholm use her power as Governor to remove Kilpatrick from office.^[15]

Kilpatrick said he has paid back the $8.4 million through "hard work for the city" and dismissed aspirations of removing him from office as "political rhetoric."^[16]

[edit] Criminal trial

Main article: Kilpatrick-Beatty criminal trial

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy indicted Kilpatrick and Beatty on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office and conspiracy relating to testimony the pair gave in a whistleblower trial.^[17] If convicted on possible felony perjury charges, they face up to 15 years in prison under state law. Beatty, a law student, may have difficulty obtaining a law license if she lied to or deceived a court. Kilpatrick, a lawyer, could face disciplinary action if the state Attorney Discipline Board finds he committed perjury in court. This could result in Kilpatrick losing his license to practice law after his term as mayor is done and he could also be forced to resign as mayor.^[1]

The Detroit Board of Ethics is investigating to determine if sanctions can be levied against Kilpatrick for his actions in the whistleblower trial. The most severe punishment from the ethics board would be to admonish Kilpatrick and refer the case to the city council.^[18]

[edit] Kilpatricks's public statements

During a broadcast from his family's church on January 30th, 2008, Kilpatrick said that he apologized to the city and to his supporters in the city. He also said that he was apologizing to his family, his three sons and his wife Carlita, who also spoke after Kilpatrick. The First Lady of Detroit, Carlita Kilpatrick, said "this private matter is between me, my husband and God." The mayor said he is in charge of the city and denounced any notion that he would resign. "I would never quit on you ever", were Kilpatrick's words. He asked for compassion and privacy, claiming that he has done many things to rejuvenate the city while also stating that he could not comment on the scandal because of the "ongoing legal issues" involving possible perjury charges.^[9]

On the way into the church before making the speech, Kilpatrick was photographed shoving reporter Steve Wilson out of his way. Wilson was shoved after the asking Kilpatrick "who Carmen Slowski was". Kilpatrick also swung his hand up in a dismissive motion toward reporters and hit the camera of photographer Mandi Wright striking her in the face. Wright's supervisor, Detroit Free Press Executive Editor Caesar Andrews, said: “This is totally unwarranted. Our employee was going about the business of doing her job in a professional way. Even with all the tensions that are obvious, there’s no way our photographer should be treated this way.”^[19][20] In an interview on WRIF radio, Steve Wilson also claimed that the Kilpatrick's security team pushed Wilson into the back of an SUV and kneed him in the crotch and told him to "Chill out".^[21]

In an effort to shield Kilpatrick from any undesirable questions from the media, all reporters have been banned from the grounds of the city-county building in downtown Detroit. In a move that is being called "blatantly unconstitutional," reporters no longer have access to the parking lot or the entrance where officials come and go and may no longer conduct random interviews.^[22]

The cost to the city for the settlement and trial was around $9 million. In an effort to reinforce to the people of metro Detroit that Kilpatrick has no plans of resigning and his opinion on Beatty's resignation as his chief of staff, he went on WMXD's Frankie Darcell radio show and said that:

"...clearly we've both made mistakes and what she did was the right thing to do" ^[23]

"I believe I’m on an assignment from God in this position"^[24]

This broadcast was aired live on the same day when the court made public some documents exposing a secret deal that Kilpatrick and Beatty made in the whistle blower trial to hide their sexual relationship.^[25] Darcell is a personal friend of Kwame and his wife, Carlita Kilpatrick.^[26]

On February 28th, 2008, the day after the Michigan Supreme Court denied Kilpatrick's appeal and all of the secret deal documents were released, Kilpatrick phoned in to several radio talk shows to reiterate that he would not resign.^[27] On WWJ's morning show, anchor Roberta Jasina asked Kilpatrick if he would be willing to repay the taxpayers the $8.4 million settlement that was paid out. To which Kilpatrick defiantly responded,

"I pay it back every day. When I go out and do an economic stimulus package for hundreds of millions of dollars. When I go find a way to do a deal on the tunnel for $75 million dollars. When I go and bust my butt every day from six in the morning to ten-eleven o'clock at night... I work every day to make sure the city gets what it's owed"^[28]

In another question on WWJ, Kilpatrick was asked if anyone could place their trust in him now. Kilpatrick replied by saying,

"You know, my wife trusts me, my kids trust me, and I think a great deal of citizens here [trust me too]".^[28][27]

Kilpatrick also stated that he's never believed his own press, good or bad, "and nobody else should, either.", because the media constantly uses distorted facts and misinformation to base their stories on.^[28][27] When told of Kilpatrick's remarks about the media, M.L. Elrick of the Detroit Free Press told listeners of WRIF that there have not been any corrections made due to distorted facts or misinformation, and that Kilpatrick has never asked them [the Detroit Free Press] to make any corrections.^[29]

Kilpatrick briefly addressed the ongoing scandal facing him in the 2008 Detroit State of the City Address. Kilpatrick struck back at his accusers, calling the criticism an "unethical, illegal lynch mob mentality" ^[30] and alleging racial harassment. Kilpatrick claimed that "In the past 30 days I've been called a nigger more than anytime in my entire life. In the past 30 days I've received more death threats than I have in my entire administration." ^[30] Despite all the evidence that has been uncovered by the various media organizations of Kilpatrick's misdeeds, he tried to assert that there is a conspiracy against by stating, "we've never been in a situation like this before where you can say anything, do anything, have no facts, no research, no nothing and you can launch a hate-driven, bigoted assault on a family."^[31] This portion of his speech, which occurred at the tail end of his address, was apparently unscripted.^[30]

[edit] Citations

v • d • e Kwame Kilpatrick Politics Mayor of Detroit, Michigan House of Representatives Controversies Text Message Scandal · Criminal Charges Family Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick · Marsha Cheeks