Originally posted on freep.com »
Consultant: Kwame Kilpatrick’s civic fund paid for controversial ‘lynching’ ad
January 20, 2012
A new report has emerged about fibbing by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
In 2005, a controversial campaign ad targeting black voters turned up in the Michigan Chronicle, portraying the then-Detroit mayor as the victim of a “lynching” by the news media. The full-page ad featured an old photo of an actual lynching of a black man, alongside photos of members of the local news media, including Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson.
At the time, no one could be found who would claim credit for the attack, which some said helped Kilpatrick’s come-from-behind re-election over Freman Hendrix. Kilpatrick did his best to distance himself, issuing a public statement saying his campaign had nothing to do with it.
But now comes veteran Detroit political consultant Adolph Mongo, who this week told WDIV-TV’s Kevin Dietz that he orchestrated the creation and publication of the ad. Furthermore, Mongo said, not only did Kilpatrick know about his efforts, but Kilpatrick’s nonprofit Kilpatrick Civic Fund paid for the ad. The fund was supposed to be used for charity.
The issue comes up now because Mongo said he recently testified before a federal grand jury that has charged Kilpatrick and others with multiple counts of racketeering, bid-rigging and conspiracy. Grand jurors are investigating whether the civic fund was used properly, and they asked Mongo about the ad.
For what it’s worth, Mongo told Dietz that, six years later, the advertisement was probably over the top.
Contact Jim Schaefer at 313-223-4542 or jschaefer@freepress.com.
