Detroit Mayor May Plead at Hearing Tomorrow
As another action-packed day over the controversial leadership of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick draws to an end, there have been conflicting reports about whether he will soon plead in a perjury case.
The Michigan governor began a hearing today over his possible ouster from office, at the request of the city council. But Kilpatrick, for much of the day, apparently was huddling with his counsel and discussing a plea deal. However, whether it will include jail time is still a major issue—Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy insists that it must, as an article published yesterday by the Detroit Free Press details—and the issue seemingly is still unresolved.
The Detroit Free Press tonight reports that Kilpatrick “could” plead in a court hearing tomorrow morning (an earlier version of the article initially said that he would do so). However, the article states, “terms of his plea are still being negotiated.”
But CNN—while noting that an earlier press release from a prosecutor in the case promised a plea late this afternoon—now reports only that plea negotiations are ongoing.
Both the removal hearing and the perjury case concern a controversial settlement of two police whistle-blower cases.
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, Kilpatrick is a defendant in two criminal cases, one of which concerns his alleged false testimony in the whistle-blower cases.
Meanwhile, the public and members of the Detroit City Council are outraged about an $8.4 million settlement of the whistle-blower cases. It reportedly included an unsuccessful effort to keep secret text messages between Kilpatrick and a former top aide, Christine Beatty. The text messages allegedly revealed both an apparent affair and their claimed false testimony in the whistle-blower cases.
Additional coverage:
Detroit News: “Deal for Kilpatrick?”
Detroit Free Press: “How Kilpatrick spent the day”
Detroit Free Press: “Follow the scene inside Granholm’s hearing room”
ABAJournal.com: “Ouster Hearing Begins for Detroit Mayor Despite Legal Maneuvering”
Detroit Free Press: “Beatty invokes 5th Amendment 61 times in FOIA deposition”
