Indicted State Rep. Ford Asks House To Let Him Stay
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Indicted State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) has filed a House resolution asking fellow lawmakers to remain neutral on the matter of his indictment and is asking his colleagues to allow him to continue as a member of the Illinois House.
"But I want to tell you that I'm innocent, that I'm a man of integrity, and the U.S. Attorney has a job to do and so do I," said Ford.
In the House Resolution, Rep. Ford asks the House members to allow him to continue to serve because the charges brought against him are strictly of a personal nature and have nothing to do with his work as a state legislator, do not involve an abuse of his role as state Representative and do not involve a
violation of his oath as a member of the House of Representatives.
Earlier this year, the House voted to expel Rep. Derrick Smith, after his indictment on bribery charges. However, Smith was able to win back his seat in this month's elections.
Ford supporter Melissa Williams said his record has been stellar and his constituents will stand by him.
"The community as a whole is taking this personally and we're going to stand with him and we're going to uphold him because we know that these charges are not warranted," she said.
Ford met with constituents to defend himself in his West Side office Thursday night and again Friday morning. Prosecutors say he made false statements to a bank to get a half million dollar increase on a line of credit.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding Reports
