Kwame Kilpatrick maintains his innocence, calls prosecutors liars and gains weightPublished: Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 8:37 AM
By Jeff T. Wattrick, MLive.com
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Convicted felon Kwame Kilpatrick was dealt a serious blow yesterday as Derrick Miller, once one of Kilpatrick’s closest advisers, pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges and promised to cooperate with the federal case against Kilpatrick. In an interview published in today’s Detroit News, the ex-mayor proclaimed his innocence while sharing some special thoughts on a number of topics. Let’s deconstruct the highlights.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: "I've never accepted a bribe. I've never fixed a contract. I don't even know how you would do that in the city of Detroit. And I don't think they (the feds) do, either. I've never taken a payoff."

If Kilpatrick wants to know how it's done, then he should ask Derrick Miller how he fixed the contracts he admitted fixing for Karl Kado. Or he could ask Kado, who says were fixed on his behalf. Of course, Kilpatrick’s claim of ignorance is plausible. Alan Mulally probably doesn’t know how to attach the back bumper to a Taurus, but Ford manages to build cars every day.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: The former mayor said he knows some people have not forgiven him, particularly in Metro Detroit, for lying under oath about his affair with Beatty."I've said I'm sorry and asked for forgiveness several times and I believe that the people who are genuinely looking to forgive me have heard me," Kilpatrick said. "It's hard to overcome all the things that they hear."

Why won’t you people just forgive Kilpatrick for cheating on his wife so he doesn’t have to face the consequences for trying to destroy the careers of three honest police officers, attempting to avoid paying restitution and (allegedly) running the city like he was a Tocco? Jerks.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: Kilpatrick said "to get on that stand and do what I did, it's the dumbest moment in my life. It was a cowardice moment."

That’s a big change from March when he said—under oath, for whatever that’s worth—that he lied in court to protect the feelings of his delicate flower of a wife and would do it again. For her sake.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: He said he has tried to move on by moving to Dallas but "it seems that the city can't move forward" without news or revelations coming out about him on a weekly basis. "You all didn't let me leave," he said.

Kilpatrick is the sort of person who breaks up with a girl by saying: “It’s not me, it’s you.” The city will move forward when it has a full accounting of the shenanigans that took place during Kilpatrick’s administration. This slob has some serious hubris to think Detroit should just sweep his shameful legacy under the rug.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: (Rev. Spencer T. Ellis, pastor of the Citadel of Praise) said it will be good for the community to hear Kilpatrick speak his mind at his church or in The News interview. "When he stepped down he kind of just took off," Ellis said. "Some would view it as he just ran away. And we never had a chance to just kind of hear from him."

I think this “man of God” needs to remember the Ninth Commandment: Thou shall not bear false witness. “The community” has had plenty of opportunities to hear from Kilpatrick. It heard from him when he gave in allocution in open court. It heard from him when he gave his resignation press conference. It heard from him in court during the restitution hearings. It heard from him in his book. It will hear from him, once more, when he’s on trial in federal court.

If Kilpatrick wants to say his piece in Ellis’ church, that’s fine, but Detroit should be offended by Ellis’ lie. Kilpatrick hasn’t had opportunities to speak on his own behalf. No doubt, God is offended.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: As for the corruption probe that has led to indictments against him and his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, as well as guilty pleas from longtime friends, the former mayor said he couldn't discuss specifics but wants to know "where is the justice in this and not just getting people to lie and say things that you want to say to make your case."

So Kilpatrick claims the federal prosecutors are deliberately building a case they know to be false against him? If he has any evidence of that, he should file a malicious prosecution suit. Short of that, well, a convicted perjurer doesn’t have much credibility on these things.

Sept. 13, Detroit News: He said he battled depression and wondered if his wife would leave him. At 6-foot-4, the former mayor dropped down to 265 pounds — he's now 275 — from the 310 he weighed when he went to prison in May 2010.