They're the photos at the center of a bizarre political firestorm.  Do they really show the mayor of a Midwestern city wearing women's underwear, a wig, and earrings?  Or were the pictures Photoshopped as part of a dirty-tricks campaign?

The mayor in question reveals exclusively to INSIDE EDITION, "That is me in those pictures."

Eric Brewer, Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio, told INSIDE EDITION all about the photos, which mysteriously surfaced during his re-election bid.

During the campaign, Mayor Brewer refused to confirm or deny that the photos were genuine.

The story received national exposure and Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson even did a six-minute routine about the photos.

55-year-old Brewer lost the election, a defeat he blames squarely on the release of the photos.

"I myself heard someone say that they were voting for the mayor who wore pants, and one lady said that she did not want to vote for a mayor who would compete with her for wearing her panties," Brewer says.

So what's the story behind the photos?  Mayor Brewer told INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent he put on the women's clothes at the suggestion of one particular girlfriend.

"These photos are personal.  They were taken by a female friend of mine."

Brewer thinks the photos were later stolen from his computer.  He's calling for a criminal investigation.  Brewer's rival in the election, Mayor-elect Gary Norton, insists his hands are clean.  "No one in my campaign had anything to do with the release of those photos," he told INSIDE EDITION.

Brewer's concerned about the embarrassment to his 23-year-old son Chase, but the mayor can still manage a joke about the situation.

"How's your son dealing with this?" asks Les Trent.

"He's been relentless in teasing me.  I'm dad, I'm mom, he hasn't called me Tootsie yet," says Brewer.

"I love my father regardless.  And whatever he does...that's his business, I'm going to support him," says Chase.

In the wake of the scandal, the defeated mayor is leaving politics all together.