Barack Obama's judgement is again in full display
Detroit's Kilpatrick pleads not guilty to perjury
The mayor and his former chief of staff proclaim their innocence and are each released on $75,000 bail. If convicted, Kilpatrick could face up to 90 years in jail.
By Stephen Braun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 1:15 PM PDT, March 25, 2008
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, pleaded not guilty today to charges of lying under oath about an affair and using taxpayer money in an attempt to cover it up.
The pair face charges of perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. They were released on $75,000 bail each, and preliminary examination has been set for June 9.
If convicted of all charges, Kilpatrick could face up to 90 years in jail.
The mayor has vowed to fight the civil felony charges, which grew out of an $8.4-million settlement of a lawsuit against him by police officials and the leaking of steamy romantic text messages he exchanged with Beatty.
In a brief news conference Monday, Kilpatrick had dismissed the case against him as "a very flawed process from the beginning." But the seriousness of the charges is daunting.
The indictment is the latest development threatening to derail Kilpatrick's meteoric rise. The youthful political figure gained fame as "the hip-hop mayor," both for his election at age 31 in 2001 and his penchant for the high life. Kilpatrick, who is married and has three children, has been dogged by allegations of a party at the mayor's mansion that featured appearances by strippers and recent revelations about his affair with Beatty.
Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy accused the mayor of lying under oath during a "public whistle-blower" trial last fall and trying to obstruct justice by attempting to hide his extramarital relationship with Beatty, who was charged with seven felony counts.
Here we go again: illicit sex, corruption, misconduct and indictments liberal democratic style. When will it end? Who is next?
2 comments:
Othelmo - drop the rhetoric and admit it: these liberals have a great taste for hotties! Republicans ought to pay attention: lately, they only get caught in airport men's rooms or harassing male congressional pages. The NYT was offering some hope, suggesting that McCain had had an affair with - allow me to say this - a rather good looking lobbyist. What did McCain do? Deny all allegations...!
I must admit that the women with whom liberal elected officials have been cheating are a major improvement over Monica Lewinsky.
You are missing the point, however, grasshopper.
And the point is: corruption, perjury, obstruction of justice. You know, the usual Clinton stuff.
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