Updated as of 12/1/2022 at 2:30 p.m. ET
You know, throughout this entire Los Angeles City Council scandal, never once did we find out who recorded the phone call that set this thing ablaze. Well, according to The Associated Press, the LAPD sought a warrant to find the Reddit user who leaked the racist recorded phone call.
“The investigation involves interviews of persons present and any potential witnesses that have insight into this investigation. A search warrant request has been initiated to Reddit in order to identify the person responsible for posting the recording,” said the department in a statement.
This comes after former council president Nury Martinez and council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo asked the police to open an investigation into who caught them redhanded, per Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore.
The three claimed they may have been victims of eavesdropping. According to California law, everyone must consent to the recording of a private conversation or phone call. The person making the recording could face criminal or civil penalties, including a lawsuit from the “injured party.” Keep in mind, the person who recorded the call could be different from the one who took it to Reddit.
A lawsuit is likely their only line of defense here, although the attorney general is conducting an investigation into the audio’s content, which could bring criminal charges against the three.
Read more from a previous AP News report:
The group, all Latino Democrats, was captured on the recording scheming to protect their political clout in the redrawing of council districts during an hourlong, closed-door meeting that was laced with bigoted comments. They used racist language to mock colleagues — as well as one councilman’s young Black son — while they planned to protect Latino political strength in council districts.
Other questions remain about what the investigation could entail and whether other recordings were made at the labor federation’s headquarters.
The state is separately investigating how the council districts were drawn and whether the process was rigged. Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, has said his investigation could lead to civil liability or criminal charges, depending on what is found.
Governor Gavin Newsom, President Biden and hundreds of LA residents have expressed their desire for every person involved in this phone call to resign or be removed from office. For now, Cedillo and de León have been stripped of their committee assignments. De León previously stated he wasn’t going to resign because he wanted to help the city “heal” from Martinez’s nasty remarks.
To be honest, his reasoning conflicts with his actions. He didn’t have anything to say as Martinez called the Black son of her colleague a monkey. Who’s to say this wasn’t the first time the three had a call like this?