UPDATE: Department of Justice letter received by Mayor despite denials

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- First the city said they never got a letter from the department of Justice, then all of a sudden, Wednesday, one appeared and it is dated Aug. 27.

The South Bend Common Council members are not satisfied with the explanations they have heard so far from the mayor's office.

The common council has not received any official response from the mayor's office and council members say they will not make a decision on what to do next until the mayor answers some simple questions about why he said he did not get the letter from the Department of Justice.

The common council deliberated behind closed doors after getting a copy of the letter the Department of Justice sent to the mayor's office 10 days ago.

At the top of the letter it states that it was both faxed and emailed separately from the tapes, which were sent by certified mail.

Yet, three days after the letter arrived, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said this in a press conference, "They have not communicated with us any findings or any need to take action".

"We have not received anything from the justice department, affirmed interim City Attorney Aladean DeRose.

The common council's attorney, E. Spencer Walton, said that after seeing the letter, he thinks the city is not being open or honest.

"They would have had that letter and should have know what was in it. Even at that it's preposterous to think you got back a box from the department of justice after sending them one and not knowing the tapes are in it anyway," said Walton.

The council still has a lot of unanswered questions. They want to know the exact time line. Still, the mayor has not responded or communicated with council members and Council President Derek Dieter said several formal requests have continuously been ignored.

"I would respond different if someone asked me a question and I would have the answers to the questions," said Dieter.

In the letter, the Department of Justice said there was insufficient evidence of a prosecutable crime and, therefore, would not be investigating the allegations.


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