Free Republic

Until recently, the most controversial members of Chicago’s ultra-rich and powerful Pritzker family were the billionaire Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker — a longtime Democratic activist and bail reform advocate — and his billionaire transgender cousin Jennifer, who’s funneled millions into universities, medical schools, gender clinics and nonprofits in support of “gender-affirming” medical care. This week, however, they’ve been overshadowed by family members who are embroiled in two of the biggest news stories of the moment. The governor’s sister Penny, 64, is front and center with the resignation Tuesday of Harvard president Claudine Gay over multiple instances of plagiarism. Penny has...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has so many fans and friends that he receives a $30 gift at the rate of one every three days, but because of his job he accepts none of them, and rarely even sees them. The second-term Democratic governor and multi-billionaire has been lavished with hundreds of gifts from around the world, ranging from a $950 bottle of Japanese whiskey to 35 cents: a quarter and dime, to be exact. The state’s 25-year-old Gift Ban Act prohibits public employees such as Pritzker from accepting presents, with broad exceptions. Therefore, the high-priced hooch delivered compliments of the...

Tony Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, is divorcing his wife of 33 years and asking a judge to enforce the prenup to protect his $3.7billion fortune. Documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Pritzker, 62, and his wife Jeanne Pritzker have split citing 'irreconcilable differences' and he claims she refuses to sign a document acknowledging that their prenup is valid and enforceable. There is much at stake, including the couple's behemoth known as 'the Pritzker Estate', which was the second largest residential property in Los Angeles when construction was completed in 2012. The 50,000 sq.ft. property is in the exclusive...

(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said he had appointed former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to serve as the new U.S. special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery.Biden said she would mobilize public and private investment, shape donor priorities, and work to open export markets and businesses shut down by what he called Russia's brutal attacks and destruction.

Building on historic action to protect Illinoisans from gun violence and just a day after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the state’s assault weapons ban, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act (FIRA) into law, holding accountable gun manufacturers who knowingly caused harm from unsafe marketing practices. Governor Pritzker signed the bill alongside lawmakers and gun control advocates at Gun Sense University, an annual training conference of more than 2,000 Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers and survivors, hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety. “Today, I proudly signed the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act into law —...

Illinois Governor Pritzker offers a solution to the rising gun violence in the state and City of Chicago. Pritzker bullied the legislature to pass a law to allow illegal immigrants to become law enforcement officers. By hiring MS 13 and Sinaloa and Gulf Cartel members as officers, illegal deaths could be significantly reduced. As officers, they would have qualified immunity and anyone they gunned down would not count as illegal killings. Having the illegals as officers would also free up white and black officers to enjoy home time, coffee and donut breaks and reduce the interaction with the rude complaining...

Darren Bailey for Illinois Governor - So God Made A FarmerExcellent campaign ad by Darren Bailey campaign. Funds are limited against those of billionaire Gov. Pritzker. Please share with all Illinoisians you know!It is interesting to note, when I searched the web for campaign pictures of Bailey and running mate Stephanie Trussell, all have been scrubbed but two. For those electing to sit on the sidelines because your candidate did not win the Illinois Primary THINK AGAIN! What would 4 more years of Gov. Pritzker do for Illinois? Go out and get the vote for this worthy candidate! Our families...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is promising “emergency housing” for migrants bused from Texas even as rents in Chicago have skyrocketed for residents. Last week, Texas governor Greg Abbott (R) started busing border crossers to the sanctuary city of Chicago after sending thousands over the last few months to the sanctuary cities of Washington, DC and New York City.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) reacted to the Highland Park parade attack during a Monday press conference by suggesting America’s Founding Fathers would not support a “constitutional right to own an assault weapon.” Pritzker tweeted a video of his comments on the attack, saying, in part, “Our Founders carried muskets, not assault weapons, and I don’t think a single one of them would have said that you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine.” In another portion of his comments Pritzker said, “It does not have to be this way, and yet we as a...

Juiced Up Budgets In Other States Attributed To Federal Aid, But Pritzker Claims Credit In Illinois – Wirepoints By: Mark Glennon* This claim by Gov. JB Pritzker in his State of the State speech on Wednesday just might be his biggest whopper yet, which is saying something: “Let me set the record straight for you — our state budget surpluses would exist even without the money we received from the federal government.” To show why that’s untrue, in this column, we will look at Pritzker’s claim in relation to what’s happening and what is being said in other states. Countless...

A judge has granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit that sought to end mask mandates in Illinois schools, effectively blocking the masking requirement and other mitigation measures, prompting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office to declare it will appeal. Sangamon County Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow said in a Feb. 4 ruling that the defendants—Pritzker, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and over 140 school districts—are barred from enforcing school mask mandates, exclusion protocols, and COVID-19 testing requirements. The ruling, which explicitly declares some of the measures “null and void,” comes in a case that saw parents file suit against...

CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrated Joe Biden's presidential victory by parading down a crowded Boystown sidewalk Saturday as coronavirus cases spiked to record levels in Illinois. On Twitter, you can see unmasked men enjoying margaritas inside a Mexican restaurant — in defiance of Pritzker's statewide ban on indoor dining — cheer as the governor posed for non-socially distance selfies with strangers.

CLAY COUNTY, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — Governor J.B. Pritzker’s emergency powers to issue executive orders to close businesses or order people to stay at home expired 85 days ago on April 8th, 2020, a judge in Clay County Circuit Court ruled on Thursday afternoon. The ruling did not find the state has no power to forcibly close businesses or to restrict a citizen’s movements, but rather that those powers are derived from the Illinois Department of Public Health Act, not under the Illinois Emergency Management Act. Pritzker’s administration has at times cited both portions of state law to enforce his orders....

Monday on CNN, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) said God would be with the protesters, some of which that faced tear gas and rubber bullets, that were cleared from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. so President Donald Trump could pay a visit to nearby St. John’s Church, which was damaged in a fire set during protests on Sunday night. Pritzker said, “Reject the notion that the federal government can send troops into the state of Illinois. The fact is that the president has created an incendiary moment here. He wants to change the subject from his failure over coronavirus, a miserable...

Pritzker rolled out a five-phase regional plan for reopening the state. The Democratic governor said his “Restore Illinois” blueprint considered advice from members of both parties across Illinois. Some Downstate elected officials have bristled at the governor’s restrictions, arguing that while they may be necessary in the metro areas they may not be in rural areas. The governor also said he conferred with lawmakers representing African American and Latino communities disproportionately affected by the virus. Prtizker said the plan is based on a scientific approach, and cautioned, “Here’s the truth, and I don’t like it any more than you do,...

Via The Washington Times: A judge in southern Illinois ruled Monday that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the coronavirus exceeds his emergency authority and violates individual civil rights. Pritzker promised “swift” action to overturn the judge’s order, which applies only to Bailey but allows other individuals and groups to challenge the movement restrictions while the highly contagious illness circulates. The ruling came the same day House Republicans attacked Pritzker on another front, renewing demands for details on state prison inmates released early because of COVID-19 fears. Pritzker signed an order earlier this month allowing furloughs...

The plaintiffs — all field organizers — allege that while the campaign has hired African-American and Latino workers, “the vast majority are herded into race-specific positions where they are expected to interact with the public, offered no meaningful chance for advancement, and receive less favorable treatment than their white counterparts who engage with, as the campaign sees it, a more desirable constituency.” “At all times relevant, the J.B. Prtizker for Governor campaign has been cesspool of racial discrimination and harassment,” according to the suit. The campaign also released information designed to poke holes in some of the allegations.

“JB Pritzker for Governor has a serious race problem,” the lawsuit said. “Contrary to the candidate’s many public avowals, rather than working to meaningfully address discrimination, racism is perpetuated, condoned and ratified by the Campaign.” The lawsuit, filed Oct. 16 in Chicago federal court, specifically alleges the black and Latino campaign workers are packed into majority minority neighborhoods, often in unsafe working conditions, and are denied benefits and advancement opportunities available to their white colleagues. Named plaintiffs in the action include Maxwell Little, Jason Benton, Jelani Coleman, Celia Colon, Kasmine Calhoun, Erica Kimble, Nathaniel Madison, Tiffany Madison, James B. Tinsley...

You know what you think of Bruce Rauner and J.B. Pritzker. One promised to shatter the status quo and admits he has come up short. The other removes mansion toilets to save on taxes and coos on FBI recordings with a corrupt Rod Blagojevich. Now set all of that aside. Focus instead on the one reality that should guide your vote for governor of Illinois. Combative campaigns, like summer romances, tend to be fun and have no lasting consequence. But after this election, one of these men — Republican Rauner or Democrat Pritzker — likely will govern with an overwhelmingly...