WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — An old recording supposedly of Warren Mayor Jim Fouts using derogatory and offensive language has surfaced, according to a report by Deadline Detroit.
In the recording, the voice is heard referring to homosexuals as "fags" and saying that "media efforts to reveal his true age" can be equated to "rape."
The recording, which was obtained by the online publication Deadline Detroit, was made in secret, according to a former Warren city employee.
You can hear a portion of a conversation where Fouts allegedly says:
"“[This] is personal to me, just like being a ‘fag’ is personal to somebody, being fat is personal to somebody, being a, uh, a dimwit is personal to somebody. That is personal to me. It is very – it’s like I’ve been raped, like I’ve been accosted. Then the goddamn Warren Weekly …”
According to Deadline's report, the recorded discussion relates to a situation back in 2011 when Fouts said he was 67 years old. Media outlets questioned that claim after some documentation reflected that he was 69.
The Warren Mayor, who is running for another term in 2019, responded to the recordings saying:
This is obviously another phony tape, manufactured, manipulated and out of context. It's the same old thing, we have an election coming up and instead of concentrating on that or at this time of year celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, they're out there coming up with another phony tape. It's not me. Warren has the best industrial assessment in the state, we have the strongest fund balance in the state and we have the best public safety in the state. We have a whole host of successes in Warren so I will not let this distract me.
Listen to the recording below:
