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Kwame Tweet: ‘Moral Responsibility May Compel You To Disobey The Law’

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick — or, more likely, a family member — is defending the mayor on Twitter after his federal indictment yesterday charging him with racketeering, bribery, extortion and fraud.

“Is disobedience of the government ever justified?” the @KwameAndFamily Twitter account asked yesterday.

A few hours later: “We must obey God rather than men.”

This morning: “Moral responsibility may compel you to disobey the law.”

TPM confirmed the authenticity of the Twitter account with Mike Paul, Kilpatrick’s public relations man.

Kilpatrick, his father and several cohorts were charged yesterday with racketeering, extortion, bribery and fraud for allegedly threatening to cut off city contractors from projects if they refused to hire Kilpatrick’s friend, Bobby Ferguson, as a sub-contractor.

Kilpatrick is already in jail after violating the terms of his probation after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice. He’s also indictment for other federal charges of tax evasion that came down in June.

Whoever runs the account has been tweeting steadily for the past few months. Some other gems:

Corruption is innate in government.
Equality exists where the laws apply to everyone.
Government means an imbalance of power.
Barack Obama’s campaign was revolutionary.
I am working towards mastery over emotional reactions like anger, rage, and malice.

It was electronic communication that got Kilpatrick into the trouble he’s perhaps most famous for: his extramarital affair with a staffer, which played out in a series of hot-and-heavy texts. Kilpatrick’s lying to cover up the affair is what got him the obstruction of justice charges that landed him in jail.

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