Inglewood Mayor James Butts stormed out of a CBS Los Angeles interview, calling the exchange a “setup” as his reelection bid teeters on a likely runoff.
Butts, who has led the city since 2011, sat down with the station to discuss his campaign for a fifth term when a reporter asked him to respond to voter concerns about his character. The question sent the 72-year-old mayor into a heated exchange that ended with him walking off camera.
“What do you say to people who say that this election was a referendum on you when they say things like they have issues, in their words, with your character and they feel that you are contemptuous?” the reporter asked.
“Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Say that again,” Butts shot back.
“I don’t even understand how you would answer a question like that. I don’t know what the situation is. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he continued.
As the reporter tried to clarify by mentioning city council meetings, Butts cut the interview short. “I’m gonna terminate this,” he said.
“This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. This is a setup,” he added.
When pressed on his departure, Butts accused the station of crafting unanswerable questions. “I’m walking out because this is a setup. This is a no-win set of questions,” he said. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. I don’t know what situation is you’re talking about, my man.”
The mayor also challenged whether his opponent would face similar scrutiny.
The reporter later said he and Butts spoke off camera for several minutes, after which the mayor returned to complete the interview.
The confrontation comes with Butts trailing City Councilmember Gloria Gray in the still-undecided race. As of Wednesday morning, Gray held 32.65% of the vote to Butts’ 29.22%, according to Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder figures. Neither candidate cleared 50%, setting up a potential March runoff if the results hold.
The character question lands in the shadow of a formal government claim filed Nov. 2 by a teenage student who accused Butts of groping her at a Sept. 15 City Hall voter registration event. The claim, a precursor to a possible lawsuit, alleges Butts placed his arm around the cheerleader’s bare skin and held her as she tried to move away, causing physical and emotional distress. Butts has repeatedly denied misconduct, calling the allegation politically motivated and insisting he was merely holding his cellphone during the photo.
The mayor has weathered controversy throughout his public career, including allegations during his law enforcement tenure. In 1993, authorities received a criminal referral alleging Butts had molested his young daughter. His former wife, Minnie, also alleged he choked her until she lost consciousness in 1991. Prosecutors declined to file charges in either case, citing insufficient evidence, according to the Los Angeles Times. Butts denied wrongdoing in both instances.
Calls for Butts’s resignation from residents and activists followed the September allegation, though the mayor has maintained his innocence throughout.