Now that he’s dumped his police chief in the Laquan McDonald shooting video scandal, attention is swiftly turning to the fate of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and a leading voice of progressives is demanding a federal probe of the mayor and the city’s lack of recall rights for voters.
The Nation on Wednesday opened a campaign for a federal investigation. “Evidence of police misconduct demands federal oversight. And citizens need tools for holding Mayor Rahm Emanuel and others to account,” wrote the magazine.
At issue isn’t just an investigation into the shooting and the police department’s delay in releasing the video.
John Nichols, the Nation’s national affairs correspondent, also charts how the city doesn’t have process in place for voters to put pressure on the mayor through a recall or even impeachment. Some suspect the video was held until after Emanuel was reelected.
“The calls for federal intervention, and for the appointment of a special prosecutor, highlight concerns that Mayor Emanuel is either unwilling or unable to address the crisis,” writes Nichols.
Police misconduct in Chicago demands federal oversight. And citizens need tools to hold Mayor Emanuel to account.https://t.co/Isz3TbQuVn
— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) December 2, 2015
“Yet, there is no structure for the people to hold Emanuel to account. That, too, is a crisis,” he added.
“The crisis in Chicago demands attention, and accountability,” he added, concluding:
“It also demands the establishment of accountability tools that can be employed by the people. No matter how things play out for Mayor Emanuel in the current crisis, Illinois officials should recognize the inadequacy of existing election laws and provide Illinoisans with a clearly defined power (similar to that which is afforded citizens in states across the country) to recall state, county, and local elected officials—including the mayor of Chicago.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
