Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has expressed his disappointment with former President Barack Obama for not granting him a pardon during his presidency. Kilpatrick, who served as Detroit’s mayor from 2002 to 2008, recently shared an old photo of himself with Obama, reminiscing about their past interactions. In his post, Kilpatrick wrote:
“Throwback Thursday! Me and the future Prez chillin in the Mayor’s office back in 2007. We supported each other. He helped me with a fundraiser in Chicago, and I did the same in Detroit. I thought we were real cool.”
Kilpatrick went on to express his feelings of abandonment, saying:
“But he sure left me locked up in that cell. THINGS DONE CHANGED! It’s cool… it was meat for the Master’s use. The Lord moved President Trump’s heart. And now God gets ALL the glory. THANK YOU LORD!”
Kwame Kilpatrick’s political career came to a halt when it was revealed that he had engaged in illegal financial transactions while in office. He resigned from the mayor’s office in September 2008 after being found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice, resulting in a 4-month prison sentence. After an early release following 99 days, Kilpatrick faced legal troubles once again for violating his probation. He was subsequently convicted on 24 federal felony counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering, and was sentenced to 28 years in October 2013.
During Barack Obama’s presidency from 2009 to 2017, he had the authority to grant Kilpatrick a presidential pardon, but he did not take such action. It was only in 2021 that former President Donald Trump commuted Kilpatrick’s sentence, releasing him 20 years early.
Written by:
Dana Sterling-Editor
