Fouts denies it's him saying n-word, invokes MLK

In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, Warren mayor Jim Fouts denied that he was the person caught on leaked recordings saying the n-word and the c-word and comparing African-Americans to chimpanzees.

Characterizing the recordings as a "transparent attempt at character assassination," Fouts accused Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel of releasing the "phony" tapes in retaliation over a quarrel over an illegal dumping at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights.

Not only that, but Fouts also saw fit to compare his struggle to the late MLK. "This tactic dishonors the memory of Martin Luther King a man of peace," he wrote of the released recordings.

To back up just a second: Yes, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Fouts invoked MLK to defend himself against recordings that appear to show him comparing black people to chimpanzees.

According to The Detroit News, a spokesman for Hackel says the county executive did not release the new recordings, but did confirm that Hackel released recordings in December in which Fouts said disparaging things about people with disabilities.

An audio forensic expert tells the News that the new recordings are too short to scientifically verify, but that "subjectively, (the new recordings) sound like Fouts."

In the rest of his post, Fouts goes on to point out all of his efforts of inclusion, including his appointment for a black diversity coordinator for Macomb County.

Here's Fouts' post in full: