Mayor Irvin’s BFF and the Aurora CIO investigated by the FBI? Part two!

The simple answer to the initial inquiry is “no,” because my sources said the FBI’s investigation died a rather sudden and ignominious death. Though dealing the Feds and FOIA requests is always a perilous proposition, what they don’t say often speaks volumes, and they didn’t apply the too-obvious “ongoing investigation” exemption here.

So, what killed it?

When the FBI’s Chicago Public Integrity Unit agreed to take the case, as you might imagine, they asked the APD detectives and command staff involved to maintain a strict silence. No logical leap required there, right? Loose lips can sink more than just ships.

But according to those same sources, APD Chief Kristen Ziman saw this as an opportunity to put herself back in Mayor Irvin’s good graces.

What was her alleged “crime” against Hizzoner?” Apparently, the Mayor was planning on firing her and inserting his own top cop, which makes perfect sense when you consider that Ziman was a vocal support of the late Mayor Tom Weisner – the man who made her chief.

And the animosity between Irvin and Weisner was the stuff of public legend. Remember that bizarrely nasty 2017 missive Weisner sent to voters in an attempt to derail Irvin’s mayoral hopes? I haven’t seen anything like it before or since.

So, in an effort to save her job, those APD insiders told me Ziman ignored the obvious professional protocol and went directly to the Mayor to not only inform him of the Pegues shakedown, but of the FBI’s impending involvement.

And we can only assume it worked because she’s still there. Though, when you think about it, this sad scenario would go a long way towards explaining why Ziman has applied to head up at least two other major metropolitan police departments.

To say the FBI was perturbed would be the mildest of understatements. My sources told me the news of the Chief’s betrayal shot through that Chicago office like wildfire, and aside from the perfunctory politeness, it would be safe to assume that the FBI won’t be going out of their way to help the APD anytime soon.

So, the vast irony here is, with this story finally seeing the light of day, now the Chief and Mayor are stuck with each other…well…at least for as long as Irvin is mayor.

That takes us to question number three, and the best evidence of why Peques thought he could get away with it is because he did! Were I in Mayor Irvin’s loafers when the Chief showed up with the bad news that would cost me my political career if it ever went public, I would’ve quietly ushered Pegues out that city hall back door and never mentioned his name again.

Had he performed that eminently simple, decent, and most basic act, there’d be no story.

As for our last question, you’ll have to ask the Mayor! I did, and the resounding silence says it all.