There are rumors circulating on social media that Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot will be tendering her resignation after being caught cheating on her wife, First Lady Amy Eshleman.
The rumors stemmed from a now-deleted tweet posted by Chicago civil rights advocate Ja'Mal Green. "Lori Lightfoot is resigning tomorrow in a stunning end to her mayorship. WOW," he tweeted.
Lightfoot Caught Cheating with Another Woman?
What further fueled speculation is another tweet claiming Lightfoot was resigning after she was caught red-handed, cheating on Eshleman, with another woman at an Elmhurst hotel, which the city paid for.
The post claimed the woman Lightfoot was having an affair with had a boyfriend who was caught for possession of a weapon and asked Lightfoot to "take care" of it. The extortion calls allegedly led to Eshleman finding out and "beating" Lightfoot.
According to the tweet, police responded to the domestic dispute at the Lightfoot-Eshleman residence, where they ran into their daughter who told them "my moms are fighting."
Former United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who also previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, followed up with a cryptic tweet late Saturday evening, "Chicago, will see what tomorrow brings."
Twitter Reactions
The reports are unconfirmed and no official statement has been released from the mayor. However, news of Lightfoot's alleged resignation has sparked outrage on Twitter with many expressing their anger over the mayor's decision to resign over a cheating scandal instead of other recent unfortunate events including the misappropriation of COVID relief funds to the Chicago Police Department, covering up a botched raid on Anjanette Young, as well as the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo.
Activists called for Lightfoot's resignation following the release of bodycam footage of the shooting on Thursday. She was accused of misrepresenting facts that 13-year-old Toledo, who was killed by Chicago police officers on March 29, had a gun in his hand when he was shot, as well as her slow response to release information, including the officer's name, throughout the week.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Lightfoot Slammed the Rumors as 'Trash,' Said She Will Continue to 'Lead'
On Sunday, Lightfoot released a statement, slamming the unspecified "rumors" circulating online as "trash" as she vowed to "continue to lead" the city.
In a five-part Twitter thread, Lightfoot called the virtual chatter "homophobic, racist and misogynistic" as she warned anyone not willing to work with her on problems facing the city to "get out of the way."
Here is her full statement:
