March 24, 2008
Posted: 01:02 PM ET

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) — Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick defiantly declared his innocence just an hour after a prosecutor charged him with perjury and other felonies.

"This has been a very flawed process from the beginning," said Kilpatrick. "I look forward to complete exoneration."

Earlier Monday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy announced that she would charge Kilpatrick with multiple counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office in connection with accusations that Kilpatrick lied in court about a romantic affair and the firing of police officers.

Watch Kilpatrick's response to the charges

Related: Detroit to face felony charges

Filed under: Kwame Kilpatrick


Amy, Kazoo   March 24th, 2008 1:34 pm ET

Dear Mayor,

You and your chief of Staff lied under oath about your affair. Kindly get your head out of your rear, you egomaniac. For once, do the right thing and step down.

Smooches,

Michigan resident.

Wolf   March 24th, 2008 1:36 pm ET

who cares wolf report something constractive for a change. You are very critical for black people. I am starting to think you are a biggot.

Illinois   March 24th, 2008 1:36 pm ET

Good luck with your "exoneration"…..not gonna happen!

AJ   March 24th, 2008 1:37 pm ET

Oh brother - if he gets off the hook it will be a joke. It's high time this crook went to the pokie!!

John   March 24th, 2008 1:38 pm ET

Kwame, get over yourself… you're nothing but a joke..

kathleen   March 24th, 2008 1:42 pm ET

Ever since the O.J. trial, the media has been teaching our children to
lie. LIE LIE THRU YOUR TEETH, JUST LIKE O.J. DID. HOW MANY
PEOPLE IN OFFICE HAVE WE SEEN GET OFF "SCOTT FREE" BY LIES.

NICE LESSON FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE CAN NAME THEM. WE
KNOW WHO THEY ARE!!!!!!

HILLARY AND BILL. BUSH CHENEY ARE FINE EXAMPLES FOR OUR KIDS AND GRANDCHILDREN. RIGHT? AMERICA.

LIES BROUGHT OUR COUNTRY DISGRACE.

OBAMA OR NO ONE FOR PRESIDENT. I WILL NEVER, NEVER VOTE
FOR HILLARY. HALF OF AMERICA WILL NEVER VOTE FOR HILLARY

The Austrian   March 24th, 2008 1:45 pm ET

I look forward to a complete backfire!

Reality check #1   March 24th, 2008 1:45 pm ET

Get out of office you crook!

Kurtis   March 24th, 2008 1:48 pm ET

Here we go again…bringing down politicians because they lied about sex. Give me a GD (gosh darn) break already. I DON"T CARE ABOUT THEIR SEX LIVES, OR THEIR AFFAIRS, OR HOW ORALLY SATISIFED WHO AND WHERE!!!!!!

Let's kill, kill, kill….but what ever you do, don't cheat on your spouse and then (surprise, surprise) lie about it. The Earth may stop spinning in space.

Jane   March 24th, 2008 1:50 pm ET

Seriously, homeboy needs to exit stage left and call it a day. He even looks like he still got his hand in the cookie jar…

Hanging Chad   March 24th, 2008 1:51 pm ET

Washington,DC voters re-elected Marion Barry, Detroit will do the same…

Baby Boomer from Michigan   March 24th, 2008 1:54 pm ET

I don't think exonneration is the word, I think incarceration is more like it. Kwame has been balancing on the edge of cliff for a long time, I think he's finally going over the edge.

Ifeanyi Azubike Houston Texas   March 24th, 2008 1:57 pm ET

We live in a time when the definition of qualification for public service has become too narrow that even saints will have reasonable problems navigating through it. Similarly the law courts are fast loosing their place as the bastion of hope of the citizenry as prejudicial bullying of acccused people has taken over from the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. I believe that the Mayor is entitled to his day in a law court and not in an unconstitutional court of unrepresentative public opinion, guided by a press that will always down play unfavorable comments.

Devil made me do it?   March 24th, 2008 1:57 pm ET

And when all else fails, play the race card and Jesse, Al and Jeremiah (Reverends all) will preach from the high heavens that it is the mans fault.

"His personal life means nothing to me", "define is", I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky", "I am not like that Tammy Wynette woman singing about standing by her man"……..

Between this guy, Rev Wright and more and more about Spitzer everyday, the Democrats are stealing the dirtbag headlines from the Republicans, big time.

It is funny though, that when fellow dirtbag Larry Craig was getting headlines everyday for wiggling his piggies, it was ALWAYS, REPUBLICAN Larry Craig, but Spitzer and this dog don't get their political affilaition highlighted, hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Nah, no bias here.

Mike in Houston   March 24th, 2008 2:01 pm ET

He should contact Bill Clinton's attorney. He got the former president off the hook for perjury when he was president.

Kris   March 24th, 2008 2:05 pm ET

Yes Mayor, fight on. I am sure it is a national conspiracy to take you down. Perjury? What perjury? Call Prof. Dershowitz of Harvard who can, I am sure, help you find a way out of the mess your enemies created for you while you were diligently trying to run a big city like Detroit. I am certain that there is an element of racism and bigotry behind all this and so the establishment cannot tolerate a person like you.

Bill Jergens   March 24th, 2008 2:07 pm ET

How can you be exonerated if you used 9 million dollars of tax payer money to cover up your perjury?

Charles   March 24th, 2008 2:08 pm ET

Hand in the cookie jar? He looks like he swallowed the cookie jar!!

SPQR753   March 24th, 2008 2:13 pm ET

Message to kathleen

You wrote:
"" HALF OF AMERICA WILL NEVER VOTE FOR HILLARY…"".

How can you write such gnonsense? Do you have a crystal ball in the form and shape of a STIFF Martini dry? :-) :-)

CMS, CA   March 24th, 2008 2:15 pm ET

This guy has no shame…

RENEA,PLYMOUTH,MI   March 24th, 2008 2:17 pm ET

.I LIVE IN MICHIGAN. THE MAYOR LIED ON THE STAND ABOUT HIS AFFAIR.THAT LIE COST THE CITY 8 MILLION DOLLARS.IT COST TWO FINE POLICE OFFICER TO LOSE THERE JOBS.SO THIS IS NOT A CASE ABOUT PERJURY. IOOO MORE POLICE OFFICER COULD HAVE BEEN PUT ON CRIME RIDDEN STEETS OF DETROIT WITH THE 8 MILLION DOLLARS THAT WAS PAYED OUT IN ORDER TO KEEP THE MAYORS AFFAIR QUITE!

Gillis   March 24th, 2008 2:17 pm ET

Text messages no matter how intimate, does not prove extra-marrital affair. PERIOD!!!

To prove he lied, you have to really prove the afair existed.

BG - Texas   March 24th, 2008 2:17 pm ET

After reading/listening to Obama's speech on race relations and Rev. Jerimiah Wright's sermons(?), it's easy to see that it isn't nor was it ever the mayor's fault. It's just a sign of the times where the typical people would never understand and we must all be open to healing and cultural understanding.

Dawn   March 24th, 2008 2:18 pm ET

It's not just the lying and text messaging. There was a $9 million settlement to a whistle blower lawsuit. This is a price that the city of Detroit can ill afford. Some people don't understand that it's not just a private matter. It's not like Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Chris   March 24th, 2008 2:19 pm ET

You can stick a fork in him because he is DONE!!!

JJ in NY   March 24th, 2008 2:19 pm ET

Lacking any reference to political affiliation, let me take a wild guess that this bum is a democrat. This always seems to be the case when the dominant liberal media protects its own .

Indy   March 24th, 2008 2:20 pm ET

That's why women should better a leader than men. Male polticians are more corrupted than female politicans.

Linda Moore   March 24th, 2008 2:23 pm ET

Obama supporters are so full of hate!!!!!!!!!! As an Hillary supporter I refuse to be like you!

Levae   March 24th, 2008 2:23 pm ET

You are the Mayor and the people of your city trust that you will do everything right. Just divorce your wife if your not happy.

Amy, Kazoo   March 24th, 2008 2:26 pm ET

Kurtis- it wasnt the CONTENT of the lie, it was the fact that he lied under oath. In addition, that very same trial was one that ended up costing the citizens of detroit 9 million dollars. It was an investigation into whether the mayor was using state issued phones, and security detail to cover up his personal extra-marital affair. it was about MISUSE of government property. It was about corruption. It wasn't about the affair itself, it was about all he did to conceal it, including this lying under oath. He's cost these people, people who can NOT afford additional taxes MILLIONS. It's something that is not to be swept under the rug.

Democratic Pastor   March 24th, 2008 2:28 pm ET

Time for democrats to unite. Time for democrats to stop fighting between ourselves. We all know that Obama has won twice as many states as Hillary, and won almost a million popular vote than Hillary. Mathematically hillary cannot win the nomination against the will of the people. Even the big states that Hillary claims to have won, it's not a huge margin. The media is trying to divide the democrats based on issues like race & comments from Obama's former Pastor. I am a pastor myself, I am white, 45 years old, What Obama's pastor said was completely true, he was referring to the injustice America has commited in killing of innocent people. We all talk about 4000 american troops killed. Is anyone, as a christian, thinking about the millions of Iraqi civilians killed in this war ? The Media is silent on these things. If Jesus Christ was here right now, he will say the same things as Obama's former pastor said. It doesn't mean Obama's former pastor is not patriotic, from a pastor's standpoint, I understand his words. The media should stop being a negative propaganda. We all know that Hillary, McCain & Bush all were responsible for this war. The only true candidate I respect is Sen. Obama. We as a nation fought this war for no reason. Iraq had no WMDs, it was not responsible for 9/11. It's a huge mistake commited by our current administration. It's the responsibility of the news media to bring this information out to the public. We have killed almost one million people in Iraq so far. Every Christian out there, think for yourself, is this what the Christ preached us ? God Bless you all

Chris, Middletown, CT   March 24th, 2008 2:29 pm ET

His first call should be to Bill Clinton - Bill was able to get away with perjury and didn't serve a day in prison….and there are people who will support the Clintons to the end….the Mayor needs to listen to Bill….there are even those who are talking about putting up another one….omg…

Candi South Carolina   March 24th, 2008 2:30 pm ET

Man you are a disgrace to your family.Leave that job because you have ruin your life and your young children. Think about your family and move on before you are with the one you cheated with. Your wife is a strong women, because if it was me, you would be outside begging for food and shelter. No women should be treated like this. When your pants over rule your mind, you get what you deserve. No love here. I hope your family can move on and beyond all this mess.

D-MI   March 24th, 2008 2:33 pm ET

Kurtis:

This is hardly bout Kilpatrick's sex life: it is far more the case of a notoriously corrupt (and completely unqualified) politico who has used his office for personal profit since he was sworn in. Kilpatrick has treated the entire city of Detroit as a personal kingdom and the citizens of Detroit as serfs who exist to pay tribute. This time, however, he has been charged with a criminal felony, and I personally hope he is run out of the city, and takes his mother with him…

s.b.   March 24th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

But does Obama lose a super delegate as Kwame has endorsed him?

NYC, NY, New Yorker   March 24th, 2008 2:40 pm ET

Apparently This guys is a obama supporter.
The Unsavory Character are coming out of the woodwork. That support Obama

NY Gov. Paterson - Had Affairs
This Guy - Sexual Harssment
Governor of IL. = Corruption
Tony Rezko= Fraud
Wright= Racist - Anti-American

A guy that try to be a new type Candiate is just a politican.

Karen in Wayne County MI   March 24th, 2008 2:41 pm ET

Finally - someone I can be proud I voted for - Kim Worthy!!!

Bob   March 24th, 2008 2:44 pm ET

well now appears the 2012 democratic ticket is set…… The Dems have quite a few "experienced woman ready from day one"

HAHAHAHA

Spitzer/Kilpatrick 2012

The truth shall set you free!   March 24th, 2008 2:45 pm ET

Don't hold you breath waiting. Maybe Bubba can ask Reverend Wright to come and say a prayer for you?

gary   March 24th, 2008 2:46 pm ET

He sounds to me like another Obama. Lie to the country , get caught ,than cover it with a speech. I dont trust Obama with my dog's life, no more than the countrie's. Go HRC

CARRIE   March 24th, 2008 2:51 pm ET

Uh, So when are Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell going to be charged with lying to the American People, how about Karl Rove, is he behind this, sure sounds like a Rove dirty trick,

Jack   March 24th, 2008 2:55 pm ET

Yeah, right. Another corrupt official. We ask these individuals to run our cities and country but we also need to ask that they be role models for our children.

common sense   March 24th, 2008 2:56 pm ET

It's funny how everyone is attacking Kilpatrick but yet these same people don't look at the Spitzer situation through the same lense. I don't support mayor Kilpatrick but I do know for a fact that prostitution is illegal in this country yet we don't hear about criminal charges in the Spitzer case. Infact the actual prostitute involved is becoming a star with a bright future. In an equal society you same people would be calling for every wh*re and john in the Spitzer case to be prosecuted but that will never happen. Then you wonder why so many feel there are two Americas.

kelly WI   March 24th, 2008 2:57 pm ET

"typical black dem guy".
No wonder Detroit is such a mess.
How many Americans murdered in this country over the last 5 years?
Obama is a Sharpton, Jackson, Wright clone. just wearing a different mask.
Hillary's a big time liar. Ireland, Bosnia, and on and on and on.
This was the reason she put up with Bills antics over 40 years. Her master plan. He owes her big time.
McCain 08

SecondSage   March 24th, 2008 3:00 pm ET

This is a political witchunt. The same thing that happened to Spitzer. Spitzer was about to blow the whistle on sub-prime mortgages. The machine took him down. Kwame was probably doing something similar. I guess he has to go to. Bush and Cheney gets away with treason and the democrats get thrown under the bus for sex. America really has its priorities in order.

Tex   March 24th, 2008 3:01 pm ET

His denials remind me of Bill's folly! What was it Bill said as he wagged his finger "I did not have sex with that woman!"
Give me a break!

Ted in Chicago   March 24th, 2008 3:02 pm ET

I think he should leave office - the info is all in emails

I do not understand how people fight evidence like that

Nate, MD   March 24th, 2008 3:03 pm ET

To kathleen- No one cares who your voting for. Obama will be the worst thing to ever happen to this country. He's just as crooked as this guy. Bad bad politics.

Naija for life   March 24th, 2008 3:04 pm ET

Kwame why don't you have dignity and resign it is bad enough you have to lie under oat and you are talking of exoneration. did you check your dictionary to see the meaning. my heart goes out to the wife and kids

Ray Ito   March 24th, 2008 3:05 pm ET

You never know - it could be that Kilpatrick brought a youthFULL hormonal rush to the mayoral office.

And with lot's of Viagra and Cialis, and some hip-up beats out there these days you never know….

We've heard "I never had sexual intercourse with that woman"- speeches before which turned out to be lies. You never know,,,covers are being snatched off politicians these days. Being a politician is fast becoming one of the most dangerous jobs because a lot happen in 24 hours - you never know, but now you know Kilpatrick is still in "denying" mode for his "honor." What an "honorable" mayor.

Goawayalready   March 24th, 2008 3:05 pm ET

For the sake of what's left of Detroit he needs to step out of the Mayor's office and into prison attire.

Ted in Chicago   March 24th, 2008 3:06 pm ET

MIKE MIKE MIKE MIKE MIKE

No one says Bill Clinton did not lie

The point there was in the opinion of those who supported him

1. He deserved censure in the well of Congress
2. Had the Repubclicans agreed the man would have received his just desserts for lying to the people
3, The Republicans made it a political issue and pushed for the extreme death penalty - the impeachment of a sitting president. The only office holder voted in by all the people of this country
4. That type of removal has constitutional rules that were being violated by the Republicans

So again - two wrongs do not make a right

But there was a correct punishment for Bill Clinton and that is the courts the courts and as Presidet - a rebuke and censure

Impeachment was a reach not healthy for this nation

And the DEMS are smart not to impeach Bush or Cheney for their flat out lies and sentence commutations that exceed the evil the mayor or Bill Clinton did

Ray Ito   March 24th, 2008 3:08 pm ET

People who say that "his personal life means nothing to me" should elect an armed robber to a political office and see what happens to your treasury.

Personal lives of elected leaders DO matter.

Ray Ito   March 24th, 2008 3:17 pm ET

He shouldn't be looking " forward to complete exoneration," but complete incareration.

JB   March 24th, 2008 3:20 pm ET

Democrat mayor Democrat mayor Democrat mayor!
why wont you just say it?

Chuck in Oregon   March 24th, 2008 3:31 pm ET

Maybe he should use Pres Clintons words! They worked for him.. Opps,… then again maybe they did not.

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