Saucy Texts Could Sink Detroit Mayor

14,000 messages contradict sworn testimony denying affair
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 25, 2008 2:59 AM CST
Saucy Texts Could Sink Detroit Mayor
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick addresses the media next to the Spirit of Detroit statue in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007. A jury ruled in favor of two former police officers Tuesday, awarding them $6.5 million in a whistleblower lawsuit that churned out allegations of misdeeds by the mayor's staff...   (Associated Press)

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's continuing administration looks doubtful after the emergence of over 14,000 racy text messages between him and his chief of staff. Kilpatrick and his aide, both married during their steamy affair, testified under oath last year that they weren't sexually involved with one another. They were grilled as part of a lawsuit against Kilpatrick and the city filed by two cops who said they'd been punished for investigating inappropriate behavior by the mayor.

In the messages, the pair repeatedly declare their love for each other and arrange motel trysts. The embattled mayor has cut short a vacation with his wife and kids to return to the city to face the music, reports the Detroit News. He could face perjury charges, and many are calling for his resignation.  "I think Detroiters have reached their tipping point," said a former Kilpatrick worker. (More Kwame Kilpatrick stories.)

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