And, he said, politics have nothing to do with it.
The mayor addressed questions about his executive order that the Cook County State's Attorney's Office raised concerns about in a memo sent to the mayor's office last Friday.
Johnson is not backing down one bit from his goal of holding rogue agents accountable. He also tried to clarify questions and downplay concerns about his executive order that were raised by the county's top prosecutor.
"Here's where I'm calling for us to be aligned, and I believe that we are, that when you have a father that's dropping his children off to school, and then he gets murdered, and then the federal government lies about it, we have to hold those individuals accountable," Johnson said.
Johnson referenced the death of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez who was killed by federal agents during a traffic stop in Franklin Park last fall. The mayor said it is not about politics, but accountability.
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"Because that's what the people of this city want. That's what people across the country are calling for, is a pathway for accountability to hold these rogue, reckless, chaotic, inhumane agents accountable to the abuse that they have spread throughout this country," Johnson said. "This is not even about politics for me. This is about saving lives and protecting the people of Chicago. This is about establishing a precedent for the rest of the country to embrace. That's what this moment is calling for: Real, bold, tenacious leadership that is prepared and willing to stand up to a tyrant."
Last Friday, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office sent a memo to the mayor's office, raising concerns about a line in the executive order that directs police to gather and preserve evidence of federal misconduct, and "at the direction of the mayor's office," refer it to the state's attorney.
The state's attorney's office said that is not only wholly inappropriate, "but it also jeopardizes our ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions when federal law enforcement agents have committed a crime." The mayor contended that the order only involves the role police play in gathering evidence of rogue behavior.
"This does not necessarily have to involve the mayor giving specific direction to what gets passed along. It's a matter of ensuring that the evidence is there and that the state's attorney, once that evidence is received, can decide they're going to move forward with an investigation or prosecution," Johnson said.
The executive order is now under a month-long review period that is expected to clarify that the mayor will not be involved in individual cases, but instead, in high-level policy guidance for police. That's according to information from the mayor's office.
The executive order is now under a 30-day review period that could result in clarifications to make sure that police and everyone else involved in the investigation process are clear on their roles and responsibilities.