ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOX) - Some of the people mentioned in the letter from St. Louis County's acting health director which claims he faced racist taunts and physical assault are saying it's all a lie.
Councilman Tim Fitch and political activist Paul Berry III say there's video evidence to dispute the claims by Dr. Faisal Kahn that he was pushed and threatened after Tuesday's council meeting. The main topic of the meeting was a vote on the mask mandate that was enacted in St. Louis County on Monday.
Kahn stated in a letter that after giving a presentation he was "physically assaulted" while trying to leave. And he said during his speech he was "subjected to the racist, xenophobic, and threatening behavior" by Berry and others who were sitting directly behind him.
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Berry says people who read the letter, which is posted at the bottom of this page, will know it's a lie when they see it.
"His conduct is disgusting," Berry says. "I have never, once, ever said any type of racial statement regarding any party. And his response is to lie on my conduct, lie on the conduct of St. Louis County citizens saying they assaulted, when the video shows that he didn't."
He says his lawyer, attorney Al Watkins, will be releasing multiple videos as evidence to prove his innocence.
Kahn claims in his letter that Fitch tried to "emphasize for the assembled crowd that I was not from this country" by asking a "dog-whistle question." Fitch says asking Kahn if he is a licensed doctor in the U.S. is not a xenophobic question.
"It was a legitimate process question that obviously they've twisted and turned it into some sort of racial dog whistle," Fitch says.
As for the claims of assault and racist comments made to Kahn, Fitch says with all the cameras and microphones in the building that night, "don't you think we would have already have heard that," if it were true?
"My guess is he will not make a police report because it's a crime to make a false police report," Fitch says.
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