Who is Michigan’s Most Corrupt Politician Of All Time? Find Out Here
When it comes to politicians, it's hard not to think they are all a little corrupt, but who is Michigan's most corrupt politician of all time?
Why Don't More Decent People Run for Political Office?
It seems like there are no decent people that run for political office, but why is that?
It turns out that decent people are not interested in working for the government because they have witnessed its corruption and have a distaste for it and just want to live their own life. While others see that the current system rewards those who are corrupt with more power, and it's usually those people who desire controlling others.
So Who is Michigan's Most Corrupt Politician of All-Time?
There is a long history of corrupt politicians in the state of Michigan who have taken bribes from corporations or gangsters, stolen city or state funds for personal use, mysterious deaths of people who could expose corrupt politicians, bigamy, sexual scandals, illegal city contracts, lavish trips, and one Michigan politician was even bribed by seventeen pounds of sausage. I could list more but I would be here all day.
Currently, the raining champion of corrupt politicians in Michigan is Kwame M. Kilpatrick. As the mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008, Kilpatrick had six years' worth of scandals with one earning him a 28-year prison sentence.
Kilpatrick was known as Detroit's crime boss mayor because as soon as he took office he immediately began building a criminal enterprise in City Hall.
Right out of the gate, Kilpatrick threw a wild party that included strippers at his taxpayer-funded residence. He then leased a Lincoln Navigator with city funds for his family to use. Kilpatrick used a city-issued credit card to use for massages, extravagant dining, and expensive wines. There were hundreds of thousands of dollars being deposited into his personal bank account.
Here is a list of Kilpatrick's misconduct as Detroit Mayor:
- Mansion party with strippers
- The Murder of Tamara Greene - stripper Kilpatrick's wife attacked was mysteriously shot and killed in what looked like a hit
- Whistleblower trial with ex-bodyguard regarding an affair with Kilpatrick's chief of staff Christine Beatty
- Text messaging scandal that showed he was having an affair
- Criminal charges from perjury, misconduct in office, and obstruction of justice.
- Synagro sludge contract where Kilpatrick accepted large contributions from a contractor
- Funnel state grant money to his wife
- Nepotism with the hiring of friends and family members
- Abuse of power allegations for helping a minister get off on charges of soliciting a prostitute
- Assaulting a police officer
- Indicted for tax evasion and mail fraud
- FBI corruption investigation
The above is just an overview, but what exactly landed in Kilpatrick in prison?
Kilpatrick was convicted in 2013 on 24 counts of racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion. Kilpatrick was to serve 28 years in prison but in the final 12 hours of former President Donald Trump's presidency, he commuted Kilpatrick's sentence and got him released 20 years early.