Rahm ducks questions on Claypool, settlement in cop drunk- driving case
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday did his favorite dance — the side- step — when faced with questions about two recent controversies: the resignation of Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool and yet another case where the Law Department withheld evidence in a criminal trial.
Claypool resigned last Friday after being exposed by CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler as the architect of a “full- blown cover- up.”
The resignation came after a two- day period that saw the mayor defend his friend of nearly 40 years and give every indication he would allow Claypool to ride out the storm caused by his decision to “repeatedly lie” during two rounds of questioning from Schuler during an ethics investigation.
After presiding over Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Emanuel was asked what had changed between his unwavering defense of Claypool and Claypool’s decision to resign.
“Forrest made a decision, and I don’t think there is much more to add. He was clear. I was clear,” the mayor said, responding to questions for the first time since Friday’s bizarre resignation announcement.
“As I said then — and I’ll repeat — people get judged on the lifetime of their service and their effort. Forrest, as somebody who’s been in public life and served in different capacities, made a decision, and he was up- front about his change of mindset.”
Emanuel seemed annoyed when a Chicago Sun- Times reporter tried to return to the original question: Why did Claypool have to go, and why did the mayor who defended him for two days let him go?
“In all due respect, this is not a debate,” the mayor said.
“That’s a question for him and for you to ask him. I still believe that Forrest … ” The mayor never completed the sentence.
The mayor did a similar dance when asked about his administration’s decision to settle a major police misconduct case — in the middle of closing arguments — after it was discovered the city again failed to produce a critical disciplinary report involving the accused officer.
“The corporation counsel has addressed that, and there’s not much more for me to address on that,” the mayor said.
Emanuel was asked again to explain why judges have sanctioned the city repeatedly for withholding evidence in police misconduct cases and why it happened again — for the eighth time — under his watch.
“Which is why I brought Winston & Strawn in to clean up that record and give us a set of recommendations,” the mayor said.
The city abruptly agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the families of two men struck and killed in 2009 by an intoxicated former Chicago Police detective while they were changing a tire on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The city waved the white flag just four days after surrendering a document that should have been turned over to plaintiffs’ attorneys before the trial. It dramatically strengthened their claim that a police “code of silence” led former Detective Joseph Frugoli to believe he could drink and drive without consequence.