"Well, See…What Had Happened Was…"

Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit’s hulking, scandal-prone mayor, testified under oath in a police whistle-blower trial that he and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, did not force out the city’s deputy police chief. The deputy police chief and another officer were suing because they allege they were fired for conducting an investigation of members of Kilpatrick’s police security detail, which they say could have exposed a romantic relationship between Kilpatrick and Beatty. For their part, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied ever having a romantic or sexual relationship.

Christine Beatty, Kilpatrick’s chief of staff, right.

But then the Detroit Free Press was all like, ‘Nuh uh! Why is you lying?’ The paper obtained 14,000 of Beatty’s text messages, which directly reference Kilpatrick and Beatty’s deciding to get rid of the deputy police chief — but also includes the two of them setting up screw sessions and reminiscing about the great sex they were having. Whoops.

Both Kilpatrick and Beatty were married (Beatty has since divorced). They’re probably gonna face perjury charges, which could effectively end his career in Detroit. This trial has cost their very, very broke city $9 million.

Kilpatrick, once a rising political star, has methodicaly squandered the once-considerable goodwill Detroiters felt for him with silly, unprofessional drama. His wife was seen pushing a cherry red Navigator, which turned out to be leased with $25,000 of city money. He charged $210,000 for travel, meals, and expensive champagne onto his city issued credit card. That he would try to floss so brazenly in a city with a 15% unemployment rate and where nearly fifty percent of the population over the age of 16 is functionally illiterate speaks to a very special kind of obliviousness. People were pissed. He became Detroit’s first incumbent  mayor to not win his primary, though he bounced back to be re-elected.

And now this. (Warning: some of this is cringe-inducing in its corniness.)

9/12/02, 10:38 p.m., during trip to Washington, D.C.

Christine Beatty: Can I just come and lay down in your room until you get back?

Kwame Kilpatrick: Yes.

9/13/02, 9:02 a.m. (the next morning)

KK: They were right outside the door. They [the mayor’s bodyguards] had to have heard everything…

CB: So we are officially busted! LOL

KK: LOL LOL! Damn that. Never busted. Busted is what you see! LOL. …

CB: LOL, LOL. Damn, so they have to walk in before you conceed busted! LOL.

KK: Hell yeah. Walk in.

10/8/2002, 10:18 a.m.

KK: I’m fine. Need a break. I want to get out of town w/you. Check on resorts outside of Houston.

10/16/02, 11:48 p.m.

KK: I’ve been dreaming all day about having you all to myself for 3 days…relaxing, laughing, talking, sleeping and making love.

10/31/2002, 5:28 p.m.

KK: I’ll feel better once I’m holding you.

CB: You didn’t say whether or not we are trying for some time tonight.

KK: Definitely. I’m getting a room. Damn that!

CB: LOL. Okie dokie.

(Kilpatrick later tells her to pick up room key at Marriott)

11/1/2002, 12:28 a.m.

KK: 6301 or 6302?

CB: Definitely 6302! 6301 has two double beds.

4/8/2003, 8:55 p.m.

KK: I’m at Laker game. The security doesn’t believe I’m mayor. Mike is pulling out all kind of shirt to prove it.

CB: And, did you miss me, sexually?

KK: Hell yeah! You couldn’t tell. I want some more. Don’t sleep!

Jesus, take the [cherry red Navigator] wheel.

G.D.

G.D.

Gene "G.D." Demby is the founder and editor of PostBourgie. In his day job, he blogs and reports on race and ethnicity for NPR's Code Switch team.
G.D.
  • I’m reppin’ the D ’til I die but this dude…no excusing this one.

  • l.

    this reminds me so much of the john street iphone situation. camped out on 16th & walnut while the murder rate climbed & the DROP program ate the city’s coffers (already slim due to serious mismanagement of funds). what a hot ass mess.

  • tlynnfizzle

    wooooooow.
    like, wow.

  • LH

    Kudos to you. Kwame Levert, um, er, Kilpatrick needs to be ashamed of himself.

  • Detroit Free Press was all like, ‘Nuh uh! Why is you lying?’ LOL
    Great post!

    I can’t get past this part–14,000 text messages. :(
    They couldn’t use their own blackberry’s for that????

  • LOL @ LH.

    He ain’t much on Cassanova…him and Romeo ain’t never been friends.

  • jden723

    I love your blog. . .thanks LH.

    This exchange was crazy. It makes me never want to text again. And before I forget, this corrupt piece of crap (KK) is CORNEY!
    Too bad the bodyguards didn’t bust in, this negro is such a bad cliche, I would have expected him to holler, “the b&tch set me up!”

  • Great post! When will we ever learn?

  • Man, those texts were funny. And why in the world where they texting on thier city issued blackberries?

  • SMHO – That stands for shaking my head off. Had to on this one.

  • i am not from the D. but i will point out a few things:

    1. why would a mayor and his chief of staff have to text message each other 14,000 times? who does that? especially when they work together probably all 7 days of the week? it makes no sense

    2. kilpatrick has not admitted anything.

    it all sounds fishy to me.

    i will say that his gratuitous spending on the city budget is immoral and unethical. i don’t condone it. but which politician doesn’t? if you gonna burn him on that, let’s burn all of them…
    trust me, you will find that a majority does it even your fav politician

  • Brotheromi,

    I’d be more inclined to buy Kilpatrick’s innocence if the accusation didn’t shut his mayoralty down. He’s been MIA in the days since, and he did release a statement alluding to the fact that his affair with Beatty had taken his toll on his marriage.

    I’m not sure how the supposed rampant nature of this behavior by elected officials makes it okay.

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