Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaign's email to CPS teachers to be probed by Chicago Inspector General

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An email scandal involving Mayor Lori Lightfoot's campaign will now be investigated by the Chicago Inspector General's office after one of her campaign staff tried to recruit CPS students to help the campaign.

The Board of Ethics confirmed Tuesday that a complaint filed against the Lightfoot campaign has been referred for investigation to the Chicago Inspector General's office.

The CPS Inspector General will also look into the matter, which Lightfoot has called a "mistake."

SEE MORE: Lightfoot addresses investigation after campaign accused of trying to recruit students

The alleged ethics violation stems from a letter that was emailed by her deputy campaign manager to teachers through their CPS emails trying to recruit student volunteers for Lightfoot's campaign.

The City Inspector General's office confirming the investigation, but declined to address the Lightfoot case directly.

"What I can say is that we take the issue of the misuse of city resources for political purposes really seriously, that represents an abuse of a public position for political gain," Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said.

Lightfoot shut down the externship recruitment process after learning about it and said her campaign will cooperate with all investigations. She called it a teachable moment for her staff.

Still, several of her rivals welcomed the investigation.

"The residents of Chicago are getting sick and tired of politicians always attached to corruption," mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson said.

The Chicago Teachers Union, which is supporting Johnson's campaign, is calling for accountability.

"I think the bottom line is we have to hold our elected leaders accountable, you know, she's responsible to follow the rules like everybody else," CTU Vice President Jackson Potter said. "Can't park her car in bike lanes just like the rest of us can't. She can't campaign with impunity in schools and pressure employees to work for her."

It's not clear how long the investigations will take.

"Without commenting on a specific case, we try to move as quickly as we can," Witzburg said. "The former prosecutor in me is acutely aware that cases do not improve with age."

Due to time frames set out in the ethics ordinance, there may be no resolution to this case before the election... But this still may remain a political cloud hanging over the mayor's campaign.