Inglewood Mayor James Butts abruptly walked out of a televised interview with CBS Los Angeles, denouncing the line of questioning as a "setup" and "ridiculous" as he struggles to hold onto his office in a reelection fight now headed toward a likely runoff.
The veteran mayor sat down to discuss his bid for another term, but the conversation soured when the reporter raised complaints from residents about his temperament and character. According to The New York Post, the exchange underscored growing unease among some voters as Butts faces one of the most competitive races of his tenure.
The tension escalated when the reporter asked Butts to address constituents who view the election as a judgment on his behavior and leadership style.
"What do you say to people who say that this election was a referendum on you when they say things like they have issues, in their words, with your character and they feel that you are contemptuous?" the reporter asked.
Butts immediately bristled at the premise of the question and challenged the reporter to repeat it. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Say that again," he responded.
The mayor then insisted the question was so vague and sweeping that it could not be answered in good faith. "I don't even understand how you would answer a question like that. I don't know what the situation is. I don't know what you're talking about," he continued.
As the reporter tried to clarify by referencing city council meetings and public complaints, Butts abruptly announced that the interview was over. "I'm gonna terminate this," Butts said.
He then accused the station of orchestrating an ambush rather than conducting a fair interview on policy and leadership. "This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. This is a setup," he added.
When the reporter pressed him on why he was walking away instead of addressing the criticism, Butts doubled down. "I'm walking out because this is a setup. This is a no-win set of questions," Butts said. "I don't know who you're talking about. I don't know what situation is you're talking about, my man."
The mayor also challenged whether his opponent would be subjected to the same level of personal scrutiny. The CBS LA reporter later said he spoke with Butts off camera for several minutes after the confrontation and that the mayor ultimately returned to complete the interview.
The flare-up comes at a precarious moment for Butts, who is seeking a fifth term after first taking office in 2011 and overseeing major development in Inglewood, including high-profile sports and entertainment projects.
He now trails City Councilmember Gloria Gray, with Gray holding 32.65% of the vote to Butts' 29.22% as of Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. Because neither candidate has surpassed the 50% threshold, the contest is poised to move to a March runoff if current trends continue.
The interview controversy is layered atop a series of allegations that have dogged Butts during this campaign. In September, he was accused of inappropriately touching a teenage cheerleader while posing for a photograph at a City Hall voter registration event, an incident that sparked calls from residents and activists for his resignation.
On Monday, Nov. 2, the student who made the accusation filed a formal government claim against Butts and the city of Inglewood, a required step before a potential lawsuit. The claim alleges that Butts placed his arm around the student's bare skin and restrained her as she tried to move away, causing both physical and emotional distress.
Butts has denied the allegations and has portrayed them as part of a broader political effort to unseat him. The mayor has previously argued that the accusations are "politically motivated" and insisted that during the photo he was merely holding his cellphone, not touching the student inappropriately.
Butts' history of controversy extends back decades to his time in law enforcement and his personal life. In 1993, authorities received a criminal referral alleging that Butts had molested his young daughter, and his former wife, Minnie, claimed that he choked her until she lost consciousness in 1991.
Butts denied any wrongdoing in those earlier matters, and prosecutors declined to file criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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