M.L. Elrick (@elrick), Marc Fellhauer (@MarcFell) and Shawn Windsor (@ShawnWindsor) enjoy an extraordinary and unprecedented event, when Michael Bullotta, one of the federal prosecutors who helped send Kwame Kilpatrick to prison for 28 years, drops in at Red Shovel HQ. 

THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The University of Michigan Wolverines men’s baseball team is SO impressive, they’ve turned ML soft.

Why does Kwame Kilpatrick — a HUGE “Godfather” fan — make ML feel like Michael Corleone? Listen and learn.

Bullotta weighs in on Deadline Detroit’s big scoop – the disclosure that Kilpatrick wrote a butt-kissing letter to President Trump seeking a pardon. 

Deadline Detroit’s scoop is SO good, Bullotta acknowledges that he didn’t know about the letter until DD reported it. He says the feds were alerted, however, when Kilpatrick asked Obama to cut him a break a few years ago.

While ML reads Kilpatrick’s letter, Bullotta sets the record straight on the many lies in it — starting with Kilpatrick’s claim that President Obama was out to get him.

ML exhausts multiple highlighters marking parts of Kilpatrick’s letters where Hizzoner sucks up to Trump or lies, while Marc risks repetitive motion injury by pressing a button activating a buzzer which sounds every time Kilpatrick lies in his letter, and Shawn defends Hizzoner’s grammar and syntax.

Somehow ML veers off into a lecture about the surprising disposition of U.S. Supreme Court justices over the last 75 years, prompting Shawn to opine on the decisive role played by the current Chief Justice — proving, once again, that the Soul of Detroit podcast makes learning fun!

Bullotta identifies oodles of Kilpatrick lies, noting that his claims he dinnit do nuttin rong is not consistent with six months of testimony, approximately 100 witnesses and thousands of exhibits presented at the trial that determined that Hizzoner DID do PLENTY wrong.

Bullotta and ML explode the myth that Kilpatrick’s 28-year sentence is egregious, citing other public officials who have received comparable sentences and reviewing federal sentencing guidelines that show Kilpatrick could have received a MUCH harsher sentence. To find out just how much WORSE it could have been, you’ll have to listen.

In one of those classic “who do you trust?” moments, ML and Bullotta contradict Kilpatrick’s claim of federal and media collusion in a plot to stitch him up — which is PRECISELY the kind of denial you’d expect from reporters and prosecutors colluding. Or did they deny working together because you’d expect them to deny working together but they know you’d expect them to deny working together so they deny working together anyway because they really didn’t work together or … hey, wait, this is getting too deep. You can either call in Bob Mueller, wait two years for him to reach conclusions some of you might not believe anyway — or just listen and judge for yourself, dammit! 

In a sad-but-true-but-funny moment, Bullotta and ML recount the  time in 2002 when Kilpatrick used $10,000 in bribe money to buy custom-made suits in Dubai but then somehow misplaced the suits so they never made it back to Detroit.

Bullotta reflects on Kilpatrick’s “Splash of Red” party and other occasions (his birthdays, Christmases) when Kilpatrick used to require city employees and others seeking help from City Hall to give him cash, prompting ML to wax all poetic with: “Splash of Red, flood of green, TORRENT OF LIES!”

Marc, Shawn, ML and Bullotta opine on whether Kilpatrick’s letter will work.

THE GREAT DEBATE: The boys — with their special Government Man guest — spar over whether Kilpatrick’s 28-year sentence was fair.

GEEK OF THE WEEK: A donor to the University of Michigan who tried to get a $30 million tax break on a $3 million piece of land he forked over takes a turn in the pickle barrel. (Which he probably won’t mind, since the IRS hurt him much more than three guys in a basement!)

ROOM 7609: Listener Tim suggests “Reptile” by The Church, but instead gets “St. Germain” by lead guitarist Marty Wilson-Piper — and ML gets owned by Shawn, who is somehow not soothed by the gentles tones of MW-P’s virtuoso playing.

When he’s not fighting public corruption, Bullotta is a writer. Check out his book. Proceeds benefit Forgotten Harvest.

Please support the podcast by patronizing our sponsors, Hall Financial and Dr. Yaldo — and be sure to let them know ML sent you!

Find out more about the podcast at www.mlsoulofdetroit.com, where you’ll find previous episodes and so much more — including how YOU can contribute! Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or Google Podcasts or Stitcher. And when you check out the podcast, remember to rate it (unless you hate it)!!!

Please let us know if you would like to advertise, or know someone we should hit up.

We always appreciate your feedback at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail or 313-Butterfield8-9070 (aka 313-288-9070).

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