*This post has changed from its previous version to make clear a source. The Twitter account purported to be of Kwame Kilpatrick is fake.
One of Rod Blagojevich’s stoutest defenders -- literally and figuratively -- is a Tweeter we at first thought was fellow disgraced Midwestern politician, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, but turned out to be a Kilpatrick impostor.
The Tweeter impersonating Kilpatrick -- the Detroit mayor who was forced to resign after lying under oath about having an affair with his chief of staff -- took to the Internet on Wednesday. Using the #FreeBlago hashtag, he tweeted “PRAY for my dude #Blago, the Feds trying to lock him up for a long bid today.”
After Judge James Zagel handed Blagojevich a 14-year sentence, fake-Kilpatrick pointed out, in a poorly worded tweet that referred to an ugly legal matter facing Kilpatrick, that many murderers serve less time than the governor will.
I’m not exactly a fan of Kilpatrick, but we did go to the same junior high school in Lansing, Michigan, while his mother, former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, was serving in the Michigan State House of Representatives. Kilpatrick and Magic Johnson are the school’s two most famous alumni. So there’s a connection. Also, I agreed with the Tweeter that Blagojevich’s sentence was too harsh. So I tweeted “@KwameKilpatrick I know a murderer who got less than #Blago. Guy in Lansing killed his gay lover, did 7 for 2nd degree.”
A few hours later, fake-Kilpatrick tweeted back, “smh.” Shaking My Head.
The real Kilpatrick has good reason to be concerned about long federal prison sentences. He’s already served a year in prison for violating his probation on an obstruction of justice charge. Next year, he’s going on trial in federal court for allegedly taking $1 million in kickbacks on water and sewer contracts.
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