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Mitt Romney is laying the groundwork for a post-Trump Republican era

‘The president will not be the president forever’: Mitt Romney says America is in ‘critical times’ and is laying the groundwork for a post-Trump Republican era

  • Utah Senator Mitt Romney says he is looking past Trump’s presidency 
  • He tells The Atlantic: ‘The president will not be the president forever’ 
  • ‘Berating another person, or calling them names, or demeaning a class of people, not telling the truth – those are not private things,’ he said of Trump
  • Romney has been one of the president’s most vocal Republican critics 

Mitt Romney is already planning for a post-Trump Republican era. 

‘The president will not be the president forever,’ the Republican Utah senator told The Atlantic. 

This comes as no surprise as Romney has been known to call out the president, despite being from the same party.  

‘Berating another person, or calling them names, or demeaning a class of people, not telling the truth – those are not private things,’ he said of Trump, adding, ‘If during the campaign you pay a porn star $130,000, that now comes into the public domain.’ 

Utah Senator Mitt Romney says he is looking past Trump’s presidency

He tells The Atlantic: ‘The president will not be the president forever’

Earlier this month, Romney denounced Trump’s troop withdrawal in Syria as a ‘bloodstain on the annals of American history.’

‘The decision to abandon the Kurds violates one of our most sacred duties. It strikes at American honor. What we have done to the Kurds will stand as a blood stain in the annals of American history,’ said Romney. 

And the president has reciprocated the disdain, calling Romney ‘pompous’, a ‘fool’ and tweeting ‘#IMPEACHMITTROMNEY’. 

Speaking to The Atlantic, Romney said that it is a ‘critical time ‘ in America. 

‘I hope that what I’m doing will open the way for people to take a different path,’ he added.   

Now Romney is looking past his 2012 failed presidential run to Barack Obama, and instead working on how to shape the Republican party post-Trump. 

Though he is not planning to run for president again, he says he has a long to-do list.  

‘My life is not defined in my own mind by political wins and losses,’ he said. ‘You know, I had my career in business, I’ve got my family, my faith—that’s kind of my life, and this is something I do to make a difference.’

‘Berating another person, or calling them names, or demeaning a class of people, not telling the truth – those are not private things,’ he said of Trump

Romney has been one of the president’s most vocal Republican critics, with the president firing back in tweets earlier this month

Romney said he doubts that the outcome of the 2020 election will mirror Trump’s electoral wins from 2016.  

‘We have to get young people and Hispanics and African Americans to vote Republican,’ he said.

Earlier this month, Romney went as far as to defend Joe Biden against Trump’s request for Ukraine and China to investigate Biden’s son Hunter. 

‘When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated,’ Romney wrote on Twitter.

‘By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling,’ he added. 

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Driver to the super rich lifts lid on sex parties and billionaires’ affairs

A driver to the super-rich has told all about their party lifestyles in a new book.

Butler On Wheels is written by Paul Wheeler, a chauffeur in his 40s who used a pseudonym as he is still working in
the industry.

In his book he reveals what really goes on in the world of the wealthy, from raunchy sex parties to stingy bosses refusing to give him back his petrol expenses.

He says: “I’ve had a few perks, like being gifted a £10,000 sports car, being bought suits or being handed £50 notes for taking somebody around the corner.”

Paul has worked for Russian oligarchs, Arab royalty and British businessmen.

He adds: “It’s a real privilege driving a £200,000 car, and there’s nothing nicer than wandering into a £50million house in London’s Bishops Avenue (nicknamed Billionaires’ Row) and being able to help yourself from the fridge.

“But don’t think for one minute it’s not a high-stress job. I’ve seen colleagues get into a car and crash it because they’re so stressed out.”

One of the hardest parts of the job for Paul is seeing how his clients treat their wives.

He says: “The billionaires always have mistresses, and you see the wives taking in every little misdemeanour their husband does, keeping it for when they ask for a divorce.”

And raunchy sex parties are also par for the course.

Paul recalls: “I’d take my clients, their mistresses and some people they picked up to some sordid affair that was usually in the sticks.

“While I’d wait outside, the wives would be calling me asking where their husbands were. Sometimes the men wouldn’t get back to Mayfair until six in the morning.”

Paul has also fallen foul of stingy clients. “Some won’t even let you get a glass of water from their house,” he says.

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“These people are psychologically ­impaired. They can snap like that.” But Paul reckons that if he ever came into a fortune, he doubts he would hire his own chauffeur. He explains: “Being the hired help is ingrained in me.”

Paul was inspired to write his memoir last year after an accident left
him with a back injury that put him out of work for
five months.

● Butler On Wheels by Paul Wheeler is out now, published by Book Guild, for £9.99.

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Identical brothers, 35, have three sets of twins between them

Double trouble… trebled! Identical brothers, 35, have three sets of twins between them over just two years in UK first

  • John Winstanley is father to twins sets James and Joshua, and Jack and Joel
  • His brother Dave is father of Seth and Jake, making three twin sets between them
  • Both sets of parents, of Congleton, Cheshire say their families are now complete 

Anyone who catches a glimpse of the Winstanley family could be forgiven for thinking they are seeing double.

Because identical brothers John and Dave Winstanley are now the proud fathers of three sets of non-identical twin brothers between them.

It is believed to be the first time this has happened in the UK. Even their partners bear a close resemblance to each other.

John Winstanley (right) is father to twins sets James and Joshua, and Jack and Joel. His brother Dave (left)  is father of Seth and Jake. Although John and Dave are identical, experts said this should not influence the likelihood of non-identical twins which run on the female side of the family

The three sets of twins arrived in under two years – meaning the newborn baby routine of nappies, bottles and sleepless nights hit the brothers like a whirlwind.

The pair, from Congleton, Cheshire, were stunned when their partners became pregnant within months of each other. 

Business analyst John, 35, and his wife Jayne, 35, became parents of James and Joshua in 2016 while Dave and partner Amy Parrish saw Seth and Jake arrive in 2017.

Jayne later gave birth to Jack and Joel. She said of her first pregnancy: ‘My grandfather had a brother and sister who were twins, so we were half-expecting there to be two babies.

Joel and Jack are pictured above. Jayne said: ‘Jack stopped breathing when he was born, but luckily the doctors were able to resuscitate him and he was able to breathe on his own after 15 minutes. But it was very traumatic’

Dave and partner Amy Parrish saw Seth and Jake arrive in 2017. The three sets of twins arrived in under two years – meaning the newborn baby routine of nappies, bottles and sleepless nights hit the brothers like a whirlwind

‘Everyone in the family was saying that it was bound to happen. And when I went for a scan at 12 weeks pregnant, sure enough there were two heartbeats in there.

‘I had bad morning sickness for months, but otherwise my pregnancy went really smoothly.’ The twins were born at Macclesfield General Hospital. 

Jayne said of her second lot of twins: ‘Three days after I knew I was pregnant I started to feel really sick, so I just knew it was another set of twins again.

‘I kept telling John ‘Don’t expect there to be just one in there.’ And my stomach went really big very quickly.’

The twins were eventually delivered by Caesarean.

Jayne said: ‘Jack stopped breathing when he was born, but luckily the doctors were able to resuscitate him and he was able to breathe on his own after 15 minutes. But it was very traumatic.’

John and Jayne became parents of James and Joshua in 2016. Jayne insisted: ‘That’s definitely it now – as I’m sure we would end up with yet another set of twins’

She added: ‘It’s lovely that all the twins are so close together. Our twins don’t look alike – they each look more like the other set of twins, so James and Joel look very similar, as do Jack and Joshua.’ 

Both sets of parents say their families are now complete.

Jayne insisted: ‘That’s definitely it now – as I’m sure we would end up with yet another set of twins. The key to it all is keeping to a strict routine – otherwise it would just be chaos.’

Although John and Dave are identical, experts said this should not influence the likelihood of non-identical twins which run on the female side of the family.

Some women are more likely to produce two eggs in one cycle – it is unusual that both Jayne and Amy had this.

Jane Denton, of the Multiple Birth Foundation, said she was not aware of any other family in the UK in the same situation. 

She added: ‘This is a very interesting case – and very unusual.’

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Tennessee doctors plead guilty to overprescribing opioids, DOJ says

First federal opioid crisis case set to head to trial

Woman who lost her sister to an opioid overdose, Kelly O’Connor, speaks out.

Two Tennessee doctors pleaded guilty Thursday to distributing high doses of opioids with no medical legitimacy, the Justice Department announced.

Dr. Samuel Mcgaha and Dr. Frank McNiel – both from East Tennessee – each pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.

Between 2015 and early 2018, Mcgaha and McNiel prescribed a combined total of 271,938 opioid pills, a DOJ news release said.

Two Tennessee doctors pleaded guilty last week to prescribing opioids to patients that exceeded CDC guidelines. 
(iStock, File)

Mcgaha admitted to writing opioid prescriptions that exceeded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. He also prescribed opioids even when his patients tested positive for illegal drugs.

McNiel admitted to writing some opioid prescriptions without evaluating patients and without obtaining medical records that would have warranted the prescriptions.

Their case was investigated jointly by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Louis Manzo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Svolto of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2020, according to the DOJ news release.

Their charges would carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but they're expected to face less time because of their guilty pleas.

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Queen Letizia of Spain and King Felipe VI set off on Japanese visit

Queen Letizia of Spain and King Felipe VI set off on Japanese visit to see the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito

  • Couple will attend enthronement ceremony in Tokyo of the Japanese emperor 
  • Queen Letizia looked smart in a black suit and matching heels at Madrid Airport 
  • Prince Charles is also expected to attend the historical event to represent UK 

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain embarked on a trip to South Korea and Japan today, where they will attend the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito.

Felipe and Letizia, who departed from Madrid airport in Spain, are invited to Tuesday’s official enthronement ceremony in Tokyo of the Japanese emperor, who ascended to the throne on 1 May.

Queen Letizia looked smart in a black suit, matching heels and minimal accessories whilst her husband wore a navy suit and blue tie for the airport appearance.  

King Felipe VI (left) and Queen Letizia of Spain (right) embarked on a trip to South Korea and Japan today from Madrid Airport

Queen Letizia looked smart in a black suit, matching heels and minimal accessories as they boarded their plane at Madrid-Barajas airport

Felipe and Letizia (pictured) are invited to Tuesday’s official enthronement ceremony of the Japanese emperor Naruhito

Several heads of state will also be present at the enthronement event in Japan and other monarchs from Europe such as royals from the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg will attend. 

Prince Charles is also expected to be at the historical event as a representative of the UK. 

Though not an official state visit, Felipe VI will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the enthronement.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell will also hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi. 

The couple climb the stairs to their plane which will fly them to Japan for the official ceremony

This is Felipe VI and Letizia’s second visit to Japan after their first trip in 2017. Pictured: the couple just before they get on the plane

Queen Letizia (pictured) wore an all black ensemble for the day of travelling, which she teamed with a black clutch and silver earrings 

This is Felipe VI and Letizia’s second visit to Japan after their first trip in 2017.

Their first visit was meant to have been in April 2016 but was postponed until the main Spanish political parties reached an agreement on a coalition government after the December 2015 general elections. 

The couple are set to head to Seoul after their stay in Japan to discuss economy and trade. 

There they will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook to sign several agreements.

This trip to Asia comes after the announcement that the royals will visit Cuba in November for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana.

The military were also present as the couple boarded the plane to set off on their journey to Japan

Though not an official state visit, Felipe VI (centre) will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the enthronement

Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell confirmed the news on Wednesday during a trip to Havana.

The visit will be a welcome sign of support for Cuba which is facing increasing U.S. hostility.

Spain and its former colony have improved ties in recent years within the broader normalization of relations between the European Union and Cuba.

This will be the first time a Spanish king makes an official visit to the island. 

Felipe’s father King Juan Carlos traveled to Cuba twice to attend an Ibero-American summit in 2016 and the funeral of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.

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Australians show off muscles at bodybuilding championships Melbourne

Welcome to the gun show: Ripped Australians show off their bulging muscles at bodybuilding championships in Melbourne

  • The national championships were held at the Plenary in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
  • Male and female competitors were judged on their symmetry, mass, size and all important stage presence 
  • Bodybuilders can be seen preparing backstage, lifting more weights to make sure their muscles really pop

Australia’s leading bodybuilders have slapped on the oil and slipped into their Speedos and bikinis to strut their stuff at the IFBB Australian Bodybuilding Championships.

The national championships were held at the Plenary in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday and showcased rippling muscles.

Competitors were judged on their symmetry, mass, size and all important stage presence before winners were crowned in each category.

Competitors pose in the Wellness Novice section during the IFBB Australian Bodybuilding Championships at the Plenary in Melbourne

Male competitors pose in tight underwear during the IFBB Australian National Championships

Muscular competitors going head-to-head during the IFBB Australian National Championships 

Eager bodybuilders can be seen preparing backstage, lifting more weights to make sure their muscles really pop.

Women flaunted their sculpted bodies in sequined, bright bikinis as they strutted their stuff on stage, hoping to impress the judges.

Tattooed former champion Belinda Cracknell, 49, showed off her biceps during her backstage workout.

Belinda Cracknell (pictured) prepares backstage for the Women’s Physique section during the IFBB Australian Bodybuilding Championships

Belinda Cracknell (pictured) lifts weights while preparing backstage for the Women’s Physique section

Female competitors work out backstage

Bodybuilders can be seen getting doused in fake tan prior to the competition.

Female contestants competed in a range of categories, including physique, bikini, and wellness.

Male competitors went head to head in a series of weight and age-based categories.

Male competitors prepare backstage. One bodybuilder can be seen getting doused in fake tan prior to the competition

Male competitors work out in preparation for the competition backstage

Bodybuilders flex their muscles backstage before the competition

One female bodybuilder walking around backstage before the competition 

A woman in a sparkly bikini liftf weights backstage 

Woman work out in preparation for the bodybuilding championships 

During showtime, all competitors stepped out on stage an flexed their strength for the judges, letting their muscles shine.

Men were judged in different outfits, depending on the category.

Some wore tight black underwear, while others wore bright metallic undergarments. 

Muscly men posing during the bodybuilding competition 

Men in sparkly underwear posing for the judges on stage 

Male bodybuilders flexing their biceps in black undergarments 

Male bodybuilders posing for the judges on stage during the compeition 

The judges are seen during the IFBB Australian Bodybuilding Championships

Men display their back muscles during the IFBB competition in brightly-coloured underwear 

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Syria critic Lindsey Graham reverses stance, says Trump's policy could succeed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump’s decision to move U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria, said on Sunday he now believed “historic solutions” were possible.

In an interview with Fox News Channel, Graham said a conversation he had with Trump over the weekend had fueled his optimism that a solution could be reached where the security of Turkey and the Kurds was guaranteed and fighters from Islamic State contained.

“I am increasingly optimistic that we can have some historic solutions in Syria that have eluded us for years if we play our cards right,” Graham said.

Graham said Trump was prepared to use U.S. air power over a demilitarized zone occupied by international forces, adding that the use of air power could help ensure Islamic State fighters who had been held in the area did not “break out.”

Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Saturday that Trump understood the need for the United States to maintain air power in the region.

“The U.S. must retain air power to keep the pressure on ISIS, prevent our adversaries Russia and Iran from exploiting this situation and protect our partners on the ground,” he said in a statement. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

Graham also said he believed the United States and Kurdish forces long allied with Washington could establish a venture to modernize Syrian oil fields, with the revenue flowing to the Kurds. “President Trump is thinking outside the box,” Graham said of Trump’s thinking on oil.

“The president appreciates what the Kurds have done,” Graham added. “He wants to make sure ISIS does not come back. I expect we will continue to partner with the Kurds in Eastern Syria to make sure ISIS does not re-emerge.”

Graham, referring to the Kurdish fighters in the region, had previously warned that Trump’s decision to pull out U.S. troops would lead to their “destruction.”

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South Sudan's Machar says unlikely to be part of unity government by Nov. 12

JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan’s main opposition leader told a visiting United Nations Security Council delegation on Sunday that he will not be part of a unity government next month, dashing the prospects of progress in a stalled peace process.

Former rebel leader Riek Machar said the parties have failed to agree on ways to integrate the army, a key condition of a peace accord signed last year, and could not see how they could form a government without it.

“We in the SPLM-IO won’t be there because we don’t want to put the country into crisis,” he said. “The aspect needed for the establishment of such a government is not there.”

President Salva Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal in September 2018 after a string of failed agreements to end a civil conflict that has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, displaced a third of the population and ruined the country’s economy.

The U.N. Security Council delegation said that the problems identified by Machar can be solved by the Nov. 12 deadline.

“What Dr. Riek Machar is asking is not impossible to do in the next three weeks but need the political leaders to say (we are) going to do it,” Jerry Matthews Matjila, South Africa’s Ambassador to the U.N., told reporters.

Kelly Craft, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that they are still holding to the Nov. 12 deadline.

“We expect both the government and the oppositions to unify together and to be able to put their people first,” she said. 

In May, the two sides agreed to form a unity government in six months and in September said that they will establish a transitional government by Nov.12 as part of the deal.

The pact has stalled because the government has said it does not have the finances to fund the disarmament and integration of the army.

Machar said he met with Kiir on Sunday to discuss the security arrangements and they could not come to an agreement on the issue.

“The security arrangement has to be in place,” he said.

The parties have also been unable to conclude negotiations on regional states, another crucial component of the pact.

South Sudan’s cabinet affairs minister Martin Elia said the head of the army Gabriel Jok Riak has assured them that 3000 members of a protection force will be ready before Nov. 12, 900 of whom will be from Machar’s group.

“Machar should not complain about the delay in implementing some of the key mechanisms because he has representatives in all the committees,” he said. 

South Sudan aims to hold elections after a transition period of three years.

The country secured independence from north Sudan in 2011 after decades of war but descended into its own conflict at the end of 2013 after Kiir sacked Machar as vice president.

The United States has said that it will not accept more delays to the formation of a transitional government and will re-evaluate its relationship with South Sudan and may impose sanctions on leaders if a government is not formed by Nov. 12.

The Security Council urged the parties to set aside their disagreements for the sake of peace.

“Now it is time to make a compromise necessary for the formation of the transitional government of national unity,” Craft said.

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Canada’s opposition backs ‘boring’ Scheer to dim Trudeau’s star

Toronto: Even members of his own party say Canada's Conservative leader is bland.

The party touts that as a virtue, the antidote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's flash and star power, and it's counting on this very quality to help Andrew Scheer defeat Trudeau's Liberal Party in national elections on Monday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a rally for his Liberal Party in Calgary on Saturday.Credit:AP

"Andrew is what I call a severely normal Canadian," says Jason Kenney, Alberta's conservative Premier and the godfather of one of Scheer's five kids.

"His personality is the opposite of Justin's. Andrew is not at home naturally preening for the cameras."

In the words of Canada's former Conservative foreign minister, John Baird: "He's not the sizzle, he's the steak."

Even so, he's within reach of the country's top job.

"His entire career he's been underestimated, and I would never underestimate Andrew Scheer," Baird said.

Polls show Scheer has a chance to defeat the Liberals after a combination of scandals and high expectations damaged Trudeau's prospects.

But Scheer also has had a bumpy ride. He has been criticised for embellishing his resume and not revealing that he holds dual US-Canadian citizenship.

Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer’s bus arrives at a campaign stop in Hamilton, Ontario on Saturday.Credit:AP

No party is likely to get a majority in Parliament, so an alliance may be needed to pass legislation.

Justin Trudeau traded attacks with Scheer on Saturday as the bad-tempered campaign entered its last few days.

Trudeau came to power in 2015 promising "sunny ways" and a new way of doing politics but saw his popularity drop earlier this year amid an ethics scandal. Images of him in blackface emerged in September, further hurting his Liberal Party ahead of the October 21 election.

The 47-year-old Prime Minister, his voice increasingly hoarse, told supporters on Saturday that Scheer would slash spending and rip up plans to fight climate change.



Polls show the Liberals and the Conservatives in a dead heat, with neither able to capture a majority of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. That would leave the party winning the most seats seeking support of smaller parties to govern.

"I know Canadians want a strong progressive government that would stop Conservative cuts," Trudeau told a rally in a fire station in the Ontario city of Hamilton, west of Toronto.

In the absence of an overriding narrative, dirty tactics and awkward moments have characterised the campaign.

Another example of that was on display on Saturday when People's Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier said his party was considering legal action against the Conservatives after the Globe and Mail newspaper reported that the latter had hired a consultant to "seek and destroy" the PPC party and try to get Bernier barred from televised leaders' debates.

'Dirty politics'

Bernier, a former Conservative cabinet minister, lost the Conservative leadership race to Scheer in 2017 and started his own right-leaning party. Lagging far behind in polls, the PPC could still split some of the Conservative vote.

"This is the kind of dirty politics that confuse Canadians' faith in politics," Bernier said at a press conference in Sainte-Marie, Quebec. "He (Scheer) is ready to steal the election with lies and manipulations.

"We have already filed a complaint with Elections Canada with our concerns about what the Conservative Party did. We are considering other (legal) avenues."

Scheer, speaking in Toronto, repeatedly refused to answer questions about the report, saying only: "We don't make comments on vendors that we may or may not have engaged with."

Asked about the story, Trudeau said: "Conservatives have had to use the politics of fear and division and they just make stuff up."

A Nanos Research poll for the Globe and Mail and CTV released on Saturday put the Liberals at 32.6 per cent public support and the Conservatives at 30.3 per cent. The left-leaning New Democrats, who compete for the same voters as the Liberals, were at 18.4 per cent.

Trudeau sidestepped questions about his plans if he did not win a majority. Minority governments in Canada rarely last more than two-and-a-half years.

Scheer, speaking in Toronto, said Trudeau would spend his first 100 days negotiating a coalition with the New Democrats that would impose tax hikes.

"Justin Trudeau has made it clear he will pay any price to stay in power, and he will use your money to do it," he said.

There has only been one coalition in Canadian history – in 1917, during World War I.

Trudeau and Scheer made multiple trips to Ontario, which accounts for 108 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. The Liberals hold 76 of those seats.

Trudeau was planning to spend the dying days of the campaign in the western provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, where anger against the Liberals is rising over the government's environmental measures, which critics complain will hobble the energy industry.

Reuters, AP

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Chicago's top cop caught sleeping in car after mayor says he had 'couple of drinks' with dinner

Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 20

Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 20 are here. Check out what’s clicking on FoxNews.com

Eddie Johnson, the superintendent of Chicago Police, has requested the department investigate him after he was caught sleeping in a car at a stop sign — which the city's mayor claims came after the top cop had "a couple of drinks with dinner."

Johnson, 59, asked for the internal investigation after a passerby spotted him parked near a stop sign on Thursday and called 911. The superintendent said that while he was driving, he felt lightheaded and pulled over.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the department, said Johnson changed a medication he takes earlier in the week, and recently had concerns about feeling exhausted.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, pictured here in March 2019, requested an internal investigation on himself after he was caught sleeping in a car on Thursday.
(AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)

“There were no charges of intoxication, no information of intoxication as far as I know,” Guglielmi said.

But on Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the Chicago Sun-Times that Johnson confessed to her he had drank alcohol with his most recent meal.

“I know what the superintendent told me, which is that he was … changing medication … He’d been out to dinner with some folks. He told me he was driving home," she said. "He felt ill and pulled over to the side of the road, which he believed was the prudent thing to do … [Internal Affairs Divison] will sort out the rest.”

Lightfoot said she has "no reason to doubt" Johnson's story, and said "we know he's had some medical issues." The mayor said she didn't ask Johnson if he'd been drinking, but said he revealed that information on his own.

Johnson, 59, blamed the incident on a medication mix-up. 
(REUTERS)

Guglielmi said Johnson, who makes $260,044 per year, requested an investigation of himself because he thinks police officers and the superintendent "ought to be held to the highest standard."

“So what that means is they’re going to interview the officers, they’re going to look at all available evidence just to make sure that this is above-board and happened as described,” the spokesperson said.

Johnson, appointed in March 2016 by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was hospitalized in June after doctors found a small blood clot in his lung during a stress test done as the superintendent approached the two-year anniversary of his kidney transplant, which happened in August 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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