INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer today called on South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg to immediately release five hidden tapes at the center of a seven-year long court battle over the firing of the city’s first-ever African-American police chief, following a new court ruling that the case can now proceed to trial.
“Mayor Buttigieg has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in a seven-year effort to keep these tapes secret and hidden from the public,” said Chairman Hupfer. “This court battle has gone on long enough and cost far too much. Mayor Buttigieg should release the tapes immediately before it costs the city even a penny more.”
Just days after becoming mayor of South Bend, one of his first actions in office was to fire Police Chief Darryl Boykins, the city's first ever African-American police chief. Boykins vowed to fight his dismissal by Buttigieg, while the South Bend Common Council has also fought to make the tapes public.
Buttigieg and his then-chief of staff (and now campaign manager) were sued by the former police chief for “racial animus.” This lawsuit and the case eventually led to multiple settlements and a court battle that has cost the City of South Bend at least $2 million to date.
Hupfer added, “Buttigieg calls the firing of his police chief his ‘first serious mistake’ as mayor. But when a president makes a mistake, it cannot simply be brushed off. Presidents handle life-and-death decisions, with the future of America on the line each and every time. As president, actions have consequences and can’t simply be tossed aside as the ‘first serious mistake’ once in office.
It’s time for Mayor Buttigieg to accept responsibility for his actions and immediately release the tapes.”
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