Tipsheet

Former Chicago Police Superintendent: The DOJ Investigation Was 'Political' and 'Predetermined'

Garry McCarthy was the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. He was dismissed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel following the police shooting death of a young African-American male named Laquan McDonald. That shooting resulted in not only protests throughout the city, but also an investigation by the Department of Justice. Attorney General Loretta Lynch shared the agency's findings on Friday after a 13-month probe, but McCarthy predicted what she would say shortly before she even took the mic.

"I think the results were predetermined when they got here," McCarthy stated on Fox News Friday morning.

A few moments later, the DOJ provided a damning report about the CPD, accusing the department of a pattern of "excessive force."

McCarthy surmised that the DOJ had a "political need" that had to be fulfilled which was more important than getting it right. How else could he explain why the agency never interviewed him or other relevant people on the force?

"What's the rush?" he wondered. The agency was much too eager to get this report done before the next administration, he noted.

When asked if the investigation was conducted in a way that would put Emanuel in a good light, McCarthy said "nothing would surprise" him. 

If the force has problems, "we need to fix them," he agreed. But, it was obvious there was a strong "political pull" behind the DOJ report.

"I'm not sure the police know what their job is anymore," he said.