Disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, currently serving a 28-year stint in a Philadelphia federal prison for corruption charges, says he’s praying for a pardon from President Donald Trump.
In a new blog post on the “Free Kwame Project” website (h/t Click on Detroit), Kilpatrick lays out 1,300 words on why he should be exonerated, capping his blog with a personal plea to Trump.
“I pray that I will receive the opportunity for pardon/clemency from the President of the United States as well,” he wrote.
In the pardon-festo, the former mayor owned up to his very bad decisions:
Yes, I betrayed my wife and family because of my own lust and sin. Yes, I failed to deliver on the promises and opportunities that was given to me by the people of Detroit, Michigan. And yes, I have been severely punished for it.
As Click on Detroit notes, Kilpatrick was moved to a Philadelphia prison last week and is currently on year 5 of his federal sentence. He’s not due to be released until August 2037.
Kilpatrick also made the case for his rehabilitation, writing that during his time in prison, he rediscovered his passion for service:
I began to help men write appeals, Habeas Motions, and Clemency Paperwork. I have helped many men obtain their freedom from prison. But not only their freedom from physical incarceration, but also emancipation from the great bondage that toils in their souls, their hearts, their minds.
“My family has forgiven me,” Kilpatrick added. “I have asked the people of the city of Detroit for forgiveness many times, and most Detroiters have forgiven me, as well.”
Kilpatrick has filed a motion to have his sentence vacated, set aside or corrected. On top of the lengthy jail sentence, Kilpatrick has been ordered to pay $1,637,087 to the city of Detroit for restitution. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to perjury and was found guilty on 24 counts, including racketeering, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, extortion and mail fraud.
In February, Kilpatrick claimed that he shouldn’t have to pay the fine because it was “too complicated and time-consuming” to determine how much he actually owed the city of Detroit.
No word on whether Kilpatrick has forwarded his blog request to Kim Kardashian West yet.