CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot blasted an alderman on Wednesday for "illegally" recording a phone call about the recent civil unrest and “leaking” the part that included a profane exchange between them.
When protests broke out across the country, including here in Chicago after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Mayor Lightfoot had a call with all of the city's aldermen on May 31.
Alderman Raymond Lopez talked about the looting, saying the response was inadequate, and some expletives were exchanged between the two.
On Wednesday, the Mayor was asked about the call and whether she regretted using profanity. The Mayor said there were a lot of incredible emotions that were shared by fellow aldermen.
“First of all, if you heard the entirety of the conversation, it was I believe on a Sunday night. The conversation went for an hour and a half. Unfortunately, one of the aldermen — and I think we know who it is — illegally taped and then shared only that portion of the conversation that served his purposes,” the Mayor said.
The portion of the conversation she referred to was between her and Ald. Lopez.
“These are tough and difficult times. We ought to be able to have candid conversations. There were a lot of incredible emotions that were shared on that call by fellow aldermen. Now, aldermen don’t feel secure or safe coming together with their colleagues, because of one individual who decided to illegally tape a conversation that was intended to be a private conversation among all of us. Shame on them. Shame on him.”Mayor Lightfoot did not refer to the alderman by name when asked about the call during an unrelated press conference announcing a new city cash assistance program called the “Chicago Resiliency Fund.”