Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologized Wednesday after she was caught on a hot mic calling a police union leader a “clown.”
During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Ms. Lightfoot was caught calling Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Patrick Murray “this FOP clown” as he approached the microphone to express support for the officers who were fired by the police board last week for their involvement in the Laquan McDonald shooting.
Ms. Lightfoot, who has clashed with the police union since she assumed office in May, later acknowledged during her post-meeting news conference that the clown comment was “not appropriate for me to say” out loud, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“I’m sorry that I said it out loud,” she added.
The police union criticized the mayor in a statement Wednesday, saying, “Mayor Lightfoot’s contemptuous remark is a misguided and dangerous thing to say to a 30-year veteran police officer and FOP representative, particularly at a time when the city is facing such chronic violent crime.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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