Police investigating if racist Los Angeles City Council tape was recorded illegally

Los Angeles detectives are investigating whether a recording last year that captured city councilmembers' racist remarks was made illegally, the police chief said Tuesday.

The recording's disclosure earlier this month unleashed a growing scandal in the nation's second-largest city just weeks before Election Day. The councilmembers' bigoted discussion — laden with crude insults — laid bare the unequal representation and divided political power along racial lines in Los Angeles.

The council president, Nury Martinez, resigned in disgrace, while two other councilmembers have resisted widespread calls — from the White House down — for their ousters.