'If I were a MAN…'

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is under investigation for a December trip to Dubai for a climate conference with her bodyguard, billing taxpayers more than $14,000 for her travel expenses.

She is allegedly having an affair with NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie, according to the New York Post. This is in addition to numerous other scandals that have affected the mayor.

Vappie has been reinstated as Cantrell's official security guard and is still a police officer following an investigation, he said. Nola.com.

“The NOPD's internal investigation into Vappie resulted in two letters of reprimand, although a federal monitor criticized the NOPD for ignoring evidence of misconduct and failing to consider a 'massive amount of circumstantial evidence' against the officer,” the outlet wrote.

(Video credit: WVUE FOX 8 New Orleans)

The FBI is investigating the time the two spent in a private apartment at work and off the clock. The clandestine relationship is rumored to have led to Vappie's divorce, according to reports Fox 8.

“While a mayoral group paid most of Cantrell's $24,000, Louisiana taxpayers funded Vappie's airfare, hotel and other expenses totaling $14,000, according to the media outlet who noted that the two were the only members of the New Orleans delegation to fly to Dubai.

Cantrell traveled first class on the flight while his bodyguard was forced to fly by coach.

Rumors of the affair have been circulating since November. Vappie admitted the affair to his wife, according to court documents. His wife has since filed for divorce and is accusing the duo of having an affair.

“Vappie's wife, Danielle, alleges that her husband and the mayor have been carrying on the affair since May 2021, the same month she began working on Cantrell's detail,” he said. daily mail reported

“Both parties have denied testing at a city-owned apartment, despite video surveillance showing them entering and leaving the residence together at all hours,” the New York Post reported.

(Video credit: WVUE FOX 8 New Orleans)

The mayor has repeatedly denied the affair, throwing out the gender and race card while doing so. She told a NOLA.com reporter that she was being persecuted because she was a woman.

“Based on the false allegations coming my way, when I'm done with this job, I will literally (be) accused of sleeping with half the city of New Orleans,” he proclaimed at a press conference in January. . “All the two genders and all the pronouns.”

“If I was a MAN, you would NOT be texting me about these bulls***,” he told a local reporter about the allegations in the affair, according to the Daily Mail.

In a press conference, Cantrell turned to what she called “research or guidance,” which he claimed were “prevalent in relation to black leadership.”

“I have always complied and this is what I will continue to do. I note that this seems to be somewhat prevalent in relation to black leadership, and I think I am not exempt from that,” the mayor said.

BREAKING – ANOTHER SEX SCANDAL: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is under FBI investigation for an alleged affair with police officer Jeffrey Vappie. The investigation includes a taxpayer-funded trip to Dubai costing more than $15,000, the report said.

NOTE: Cantrell also faces… pic.twitter.com/P2jiK2HxWf

— Simon Ateba (@simonstheba) January 23, 2024

Cantrell and Vappie have been banned from the Upper Pontalba residence after video footage emerged of them together there. The City says the apartment is intended for meetings with visiting dignitaries, not for long-term personal use.

The mayor has previously done being criticized for making personal purchases instead of city credit cards. There was also a recall effort that tried to force her out of office, but it didn't get enough signatures to trigger a vote.

“New Orleans political observers have drawn parallels between Cantrell's entanglement with former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, who was forced to resign in 2018 after admitting to an affair with a married member of her security,” the New York Post noted.

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.

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