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Garry McCarthy For Mayor? Exploratory Committee Formed For Fired Top Cop

By Heather Cherone | September 14, 2017 2:35pm | Updated on September 14, 2017 3:24pm
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel could face the police superintendent he fired, Garry McCarthy, in Chicago's mayor's race.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel could face the police superintendent he fired, Garry McCarthy, in Chicago's mayor's race.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

CITY HALL — A committee that could pave the way for fired Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy to run for mayor was formed this week, records filed with state officials show.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired McCarthy in December 2015 in the wake of the release of the dashcam video showing a police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times.

Since his dismissal, McCarthy has been highly critical of Emanuel, who has yet to formally announce whether he will run for a third term in 2019.

The video showing McDonald's slaying triggered massive protests and eventually a federal investigation that showed Chicago officers systematically violated the civil rights of African-American and Latino Chicagoans during McCarthy's four-year tenure as police superintendent.

READ THE FULL U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REPORT HERE

When he fired McCarthy, Emanuel said the former Newark, N.J., police chief and New York Police Department officer had become "a distraction."

Neither Brian McCormack, chairman of the Garry McCarthy For Mayor Exploratory Committee, nor treasurer Bernadette McNally immediately responded to a request for comment.

McCarthy, who worked as a security consultant after leaving the Chicago Police Department, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The filing lists a website for the nascent campaign — garryformayor.com — which is not live, and indicated the campaign committee had received no contributions.

In January, McCarthy told "60 Minutes" that Emanuel had used him as a "scapegoat" at the height of the outcry over McDonald's shooting death and blamed the surge of violence that swept the South and West sides of the city in 2016 and only recently showed signs of slowing.

In July, gold and green "GMFM" (Garry McCarthy For Mayor) buttons began popping up around the city, and McCarthy told the Tribune that he was considering a run for mayor.

McCarthy.pdf by Heather Cherone on Scribd