Detroit’s Former Mayor to Speak at Oakland County GOP gathering
Former Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick is all set to take the stage as a speaker at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner. Kilpatrick, who was released early from prison, thanks to the intervention of former President Donald Trump, will be in the spotlight at the gathering next week.
The Oakland County Republican Party Chairman, Vance Patrick, took to social media to share the news about Kilpatrick’s appearance at the event on Aug. 21 at Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi. With just over a couple of months before the Nov. 5 election, this event is bound to get a lot of attention.
Joining him will be Ben Carson, another figure from Detroit who served as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during Trump’s term. As the keynote speaker of the event, he is expected to draw in a lot of the crowd. And if you’re thinking of catching this in person, a regular ticket will cost you $125.
According to Patrick, Kilpatrick, who found his faith while in prison, will be speaking about his repentance and redemption. He feels that it’s a message that will resonate with everyone hearing it. By involving Kilpatrick in the event, the Oakland GOP emphasizes on their stand stating, “The GOP is inclusive, not exclusive.”
This event is significant as it is held in Michigan’s second largest county, Oakland County. As the county might be pivotal in deciding the winner of the state’s 15 electoral votes, the attention is really mounting on who’s saying what.
Once a shining star in Michigan’s Democratic political scene, Kilpatrick had a significant fall from grace when he was charged and subsequently convicted in 2013 in a corruption case involving extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and fraud, his charges spanned over a decade. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, a strong sentence that still happens to be the longest one ever given out in a federal corruption case.
As one of his last actions as President, Trump commuted Kilpatrick’s sentence, facilitating his release from prison 16 years prior to his slated release date. In return, Kilpatrick endorsed Trump for president and has been seen attending GOP events since his release.
During his trial, Kilpatrick and a contractor named Bobby Ferguson were found guilty of using government contracts as a source to fund their luxurious lifestyle.
Kilpatrick, who was the Mayor of Detroit from 2002-2008, has been in a battle with federal prosecutors, as he fights against restitution sum of nearly $825,000 that he owes to taxpayers from his federal corruption conviction. His claim is that about $6,700 found during a hunt by the prosecutors, is exempt from collection.
