The rehabilitation of Rahm Emanuel

Former IG Fergusonl joins the clean-up campaign

In an act of unprecedented, crass political fealty, former Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson told the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that former mayor Rahm Emanuel should be praised rather than criticized for his response to the police murder of Laquan McDonald.

“There is a complete absence of factual basis to support the claim that Mayor Emanuel was involved directly or indirectly in a ‘cover-up’ of the McDonald shooting videos,” Ferguson wrote in a letter obtained by WTTW News on Oct. 28.

Emanuel, a longtime Democratic Party operative under the Clinton and Obama administrations, has been named Ambassador to Japan by Pres. Biden over loud community protests resulting from his withholding of the dashcam videos of the McDonald shooting until after the 2015 mayoral election. And only then when he was compelled to do so by a court order.

It’s doubtful that Emanuel could have defeated his runoff opponent, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia" had those videos been released during the campaign. The shadow of the McDonald murder and widespread condemnation of the mayor ultimately led to Emanuel’s dropping out of the 2019 race.

Progressive House Democrats have urged senators to oppose Emanuel because of his role in the cover-up. During his confirmation hearing on Oct. 20, Emanuel faced pointed questions from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who suggested that it defied belief that Emanuel did not know that the dashcam video showing Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times

“I have carefully considered Mayor Emanuel’s record — and the input of civil rights leaders, criminal justice experts, and local elected officials who have reached out to the Senate to weigh in — and I have reached the decision that I cannot support his nomination to serve as a U.S. Ambassador.”

Ironically, Emanuel himself was forced to do some mea culpas for his role in the McDonald shooting as part of a difficult clean-up campaign leading up to his ambassadorship appointment.

"I am the mayor…I own it. I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch.”

Indeed. And the community hasn’t forgotten.

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Why did Ferguson do it?

I’ve met Joe Ferguson on a few occasions and we even had him as a guest on Hitting Left radio. He seemed like an honest, progressive, and competent guy. But I never understood why he cut his deal with Emanuel in exchange for re-appointment his IG post back in 2013. He was reportedly re-appointed on the condition that he abandon his 4-year contract after one year and limit his "investigative work" to helping Rahm get out from under Shakman constraints on political patronage. Emanuel then declared that he and Ferguson had become “partners.”

Now his praise of Emanuel’s handling of the McDonald case has me wondering again about that deal eight years ago. I’m holding off on making any final judgment until I see where Ferguson lands next.