‘EMBARRASSED AND ASHAMED’

N.J. Mayor Who Swore He Didn’t Use Racial Slurs Now Admits He Did

Secret recordings of the slurs only came to light after a local newspaper uncovered a $400,000 payout made to keep a whistleblower quiet.

Sal Bonaccorso, the Republican mayor of Clark township in New Jersey, admitted Wednesday that he had used racial slurs on many occasions—despite swearing just a week ago that he couldn’t have because he has “many, many Black friends.” Last week, NJ.com revealed that a police officer had secretly recorded Bonaccorso and three top police officials referring to Black people as “spooks,” “shines,” and “n—s” on multiple occasions. But the town paid the officer $400,000 in exchange for him turning over his recordings and agreeing not to sue. Bonaccorso initially denied using slurs but also refused to listen to the recordings obtained by NJ.com. On Wednesday, he released a video saying he was “embarrassed and ashamed” by his comments. “I deeply apologize for my hurtful and insensitive language,” he said.