(WXYZ) — Calling an impromptu press conference from Mackinac Island during the Mackinac Policy Conference, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan vehemently denied that he purposely outed a confidential source in the federal investigation into former city councilman Andre Spivey and corruption in the city’s towing industry.
The allegations stem from a Tuesday Detroit News article, which cited numerous anonymous sources
“I have never disclosed the identity of anyone I ever knew to be a confidential source in my life. I would not do that, I did not know there was any confidential source in this case,” the Mayor said from the podium. “I never have done anything to undercut their (federal investigators) efforts and any suggestion in their (Detroit News) story today that I did is just nonsense.”
The article highlights a January court document which stated in June 2021 Spivey told a "public official" the identity of the FBI's informant. That public official then told others in the city government, and the informant's name eventually made its way to a subject in the investigation.
Sources told the Detroit News that the public official mentioned in the document was the mayor.
"It certainly seems to match up in the language,” the mayor said when asked whether he was the public official in the document.
According to the mayor, Spivey told him that he took money from a tow truck operator and both of them had been caught on a wire discussing it. Spivey told Duggan he was going to be indicted soon and had confessed to the FBI.
Duggan then says he told DPD and the City’s legal department who the tower was, not knowing the tower was the one who wore the wire.
“Andre Spivey never said a word about a confidential source, nothing like that.," Duggan said. “Had anybody suggested that a confidential source was involved I wouldn't have said a word.”
“It's never a good thing for an informant. No law enforcement agency and especially the FBI ever wants an informant disclosed,” said former FBI agent Andy Bartnowak, who previously worked as a supervisory agent in the Detroit field office. "Informants are the lifeblood of any investigation and certainly an FBI investigation.”
Bartnowak says the disclosure could put the safety of the informant and the investigation at risk. However, based on the information in the report Bartnowak is not convinced the mayor did it on purpose or could end up facing charges for sharing the name.
"I think to suggest on what we know so far, that he had a motive to do this, to obstruct a federal investigation, I think is a stretch," Bartnowak said. "At least for me, I would question his judgment in this case but not so much that he tried to obstruct an investigation.”
The mayor did not say specifically who outside of DPD and the City's legal department he told but added no federal agencies have contacted him.
The FBI deferred media requests to the US Attorney's Office, who declined comment.
