Kwame Kilpatrick Maintains Innocence, Asks for Forgiveness in Detroit Church
Ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick visited a church in his former home city of Detroit Tuesday to tell his side of the "sexting" scandal and legal woes that led to him being pulled from office and thrown into prison.
Speaking at Citadel of Praise Church in northwest Detroit at the invitation of Pastor Spencer Ellis, Kilpatrick answered pre-submitted questions from the curious crowd of about 800 that packed the church.
Kilpatrick did jail time in January 2008 after a series of sexually explicit text messages between the former mayor and a female staff member revealed that both adults had lied under oath about carrying on an affair.
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The disgraced mayor pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice. Kilpatrick also had to serve 14 months for violating terms of his probation. This church visit, a stop on his book tour, was his first in Detroit since being released from a Texas prison on Aug. 2.
Asked how his wife handled his infidelity, Kilpatrick said it has not been easy rebuilding his marriage, according to Detroit Free Press.
"Just as she was starting to like her husband again and kick it with him again, he got thrown into prison," Kilpatrick said.
Although television cameras were not allowed to record Kilpatrick's book signing and sale at the church, those who attended the event offered their reaction afterwards.
"I thought it was beautiful," Candy Plummer told the Detroit Free Press." It gave Kwame an opportunity to tell his story, hopefully, to get the truth out."
Kilpatrick signed copies of his new book, Surrendered: The Rise, Fall and Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick. Sales of the book, listed for $26.95, will help Kilpatrick pay off more than $800,000 he owes the city in restitution as part of a plea in his 2008 criminal case.
Before leaving Citadel of Praise Tuesday, Kilpatrick also defended himself against claims of federal corruption charges he expects to face in September 2012.
In an interview with The Detroit News, Kilpatrick said, "I not only proclaim my innocence, but the things that I'm accused of … are absolutely false."
He continued, "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."
Kilpatrick's former aide and longtime friend, Derrick Miller, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to having given the former Detroit mayor bribe money and lying about his taxes.
It has been speculated by political commentators and criminal law experts that, due to Miller's admission of guilt, Kilpatrick, a Democrat, will also likely have to make a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
The synopsis of Kilpatrick's Surrender... invites readers to "learn the truth behind his meteoric rise in politics, the crippling controversies surrounding his administration, his downfall and, ultimately, his redemption."
Upon his release from prison on Aug. 2, Kilpatrick thanked supporters for their prayers and credited "the Creator" with guiding and protecting him.
"During my incarceration, I learned, sometimes through very painful processes, how important it is for me to put God, Faith, and Family first," Kilpatrick said.
So far, reviews of Kilpatrick's book on Amazon have been mostly negative. One review, titled "Unrepentant and Unbowed" by Denice Bee, reads: "He claims God had saved him from himself. However, even to this day, the man believes that if he wished, he would be re-elected without a doubt. His book gives some details, but he still believes he's entitled. ... Read the book if you like. Buy it if you must. The book helps pay back Detroit for Kwame's sins."
