DETROIT -- Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's top lawyer suggested that Attorney General Mike Cox was going to find there was no Manoogian Mansion party before the probe even began, according to text messages released Monday.

That and other newly released messages, sent on city-owned pagers, provide a window into how Kilpatrick ran his administration, revealing that he and his appointees and relatives were concerned about spinning scandals, grabbing perks and racial issues.

The messages, released under a judge's order, also provide more details of an affair between Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty and other extramarital flirtations.

Cox "called me [[Saturday) and asked who we would rather be cleared by him or [[Wayne County Prosecutor Mike) Duggan," former city Corporation Counsel Ruth Carter texted Kilpatrick on May 19, 2003, the day Cox announced he would conduct his own investigation. "I said him."

Cox dismissed as an "urban legend" rumors that Kilpatrick hosted an out-of-control party that ended when his wife, Carlita, beat up a stripper who was later murdered. Cox has since faced allegations from cops and others claiming he cut short the State Police investigation. He confirmed he called Carter before he announced his probe but denied telling her it would clear the former mayor.

"I don't know why it's written that way, but it's pretty clear if you look at it that I wanted to do the right kind of investigation," Cox said.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20090310/...#ixzz0v89YcO2e