Inglewood mayor accused of groping teen storms out of interview as reelection hangs by a thread

Inglewood Mayor James Butts walked out of an interview with a local Los Angeles news station, calling a reporter’s questions a “setup” and “ridiculous” as he faces a tight race for reelection, which will go into a runoff.The longtime mayor was speaking with CBS Los Angeles about his bid for another term when the interview took a contentious turn after the reporter asked him to respond to residents who had raised concerns about his personality.In September, the mayor was accused of inappropriately touching a teenage cheerleader while posing for a photograph at a City Hall voter registration event.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story The allegations prompted calls from residents and activists for his resignation, although Butts has repeatedly denied any misconduct.“What do you say to people who say that this election was a referendum on you when they say things like they have issues, in their words, with your character and they feel that you are contemptuous?” the reporter asked.Butts immediately pushed back.“Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Say that again,” he responded.“I don’t even understand how you would answer a question like that.

I don’t know what the situation is.I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the mayor continued.As the reporter attempted to elaborate, mentioning city council meetings, Butts announced that he was ending the conversation.“I’m gonna terminate this,” Butts said.“This is ridiculous.

This is ridiculous.This is a setup,” he added.When the reporter pressed him on why he was leaving, Butts accused the station of asking questions he could not reasonably answer.“I’m walking out because this is a setup.

This is a no-win set of questions,” Butts said.“I don’t know who you’re t...