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Detroit Mayor's Aide Quits Amid Allegations Of Affair

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By DAVID RUNK, The Associated Press

Published: January 29, 2008

DETROIT - Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's chief of staff said Monday she is resigning amid allegations that she and the mayor lied under oath about an affair.

In a letter to Kilpatrick that was released by his office, Christine Beatty said she thinks she can no longer effectively carry out her duties. Her resignation takes effect Feb. 8.

"I painfully regret the devastation that the recent reports have caused to the citizens of Detroit, to my co-workers, to the Mayor's family and to my family and friends," Beatty wrote in the letter.

Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said the mayor's office had no comment.

A prosecutor launched an investigation last week into the allegations, which came to light when the Detroit Free Press reported details of steamy text messages between Beatty and Kilpatrick.

A conviction of lying under oath can bring up to 15 years' imprisonment.

Both Kilpatrick and Beatty testified in a trial last summer that they did not have a physical relationship in 2002 and 2003, when the messages were reportedly sent. The 14,000 messages examined by the newspaper reveal the two carried on a flirty, sometimes sexually explicit dialogue about where to meet and how to conceal their numerous trysts.

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