* Tribune last month…
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Sunday she would return $116,000 raised at a campaign fundraiser that embattled Ald. Edward Burke hosted at his home last January, an about-face after a week of potentially damaging revelations about her history with him. […]
A copy of the invitation for the fundraiser at Burke’s home reads, “Chairman Edward M. Burke would like to invite you to a fundraiser in support of Hon. Toni Preckwinkle.” But Preckwinkle on Friday said it was Burke’s wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, who arranged the fundraiser.
Asked why the justice’s name wasn’t on the invite instead of the alderman’s, Preckwinkle replied, “She was a candidate at the time, so the invitation came from Ed.” Anne Burke was seeking retention to a second 10-year term as a justice, and such high-level jurists often try to maintain an appearance of being above the political fray.
* Sun-Times today…
[Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot] argued that Preckwinkle has “made herself a fact witness in the Ed Burke case” because of the fundraiser and would be “questioned by the FBI” if she hasn’t been already.
“They’re gonna want to know what was said. How did this fundraiser come to be? And they’re gonna look, of course, at every dollar that was raised during that fundraiser to make a determination if Ed Burke put the arm improperly on anybody else,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot scoffed at Preckwinkle’s claim that Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke —not the alderman— was responsible for throwing the January, 2018 fundraiser at the Burke home.
“She threw Anne Burke under the bus. Of course, Anne Burke had nothing to do with that fundraiser…She’s a good and able judge. She knows what the rules are. That had nothing to do with Anne Burke. It had everything to do with Toni Preckwinkle’s relationship with Ed Burke,” Lightfoot said.
* And now, this…
…Adding… WBEZ…
Jeff Orr told WBEZ he does not support any candidate in Tuesday’s mayoral election, but his father has endorsed Preckwinkle rival Lori Lightfoot.
And Preckwinkle’s campaign accused Jeff Orr of being a Lightfoot supporter, too.
“This is pure politics from a supporter of one of Toni’s political opponents the weekend before the election,” the campaign said in a statement Friday. “The details of the event have been known for several months. But now, a couple of days before the election, this supporter of millionaire corporate attorney Lori Lightfoot files a claim. Why?”
- Mr. Chairman - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:43 pm:
Well played, Jeff O
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:45 pm:
Fair questions, but this has ethical implications unlike which Burke gave Susana Mendoza use of their living room.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:59 pm:
Based on all the heat this week, it seems to me that both Preckwinkle and Lightfoot believe that one of them will make the runoff.
- Steve - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:00 pm:
It begins. Can Anne Burke have known nothing all these years ? Will Anne make it to Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court by the end of the year?
- Regular democrat - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:14 pm:
Lightfoot proving to be no.lightweight and playing some serious hardball. Im impressed with her moxie
- Trapped in the 'burbs - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:22 pm:
A sitting judge or in this case, a Supreme Court Justice, can officiate and host a wedding in their home for a friend, as long as they’re not compensated. They can’t host a political fundraiser. There is no way that an invitation exists that has Anne Burke listed as the host for a Preckwinkle fundraiser. Toni has forced the Burkes into a corner. Between Preckwinkle trying to spin her way out of her ethical lapses and Anne Burke following the law, I imagine another round of explanations coming from the Toni camp. Preckwinkle is a bully and now she’s faced with strong people standing up to her. It will fun watching her play the victim.
- OneMan - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:25 pm:
If nothing else Lightfoot has had a good week.
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:30 pm:
We may never know because those proceedings aren’t exactly public, but if my hunch is correct Toni Preckwinkle may find herself to be the one looking up at the grill of the figurative Greyhound for a change.
- Chicago_Downstater - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:37 pm:
Lightfoot had already won my vote, but I’m texting friends now. I’ve really love how she’s been fighting for every scrap of earned media she can. Makes me think she’s a real fighter, and she’s got the skill and the know-how to fight with purpose.
- curtis - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:41 pm:
Lightfoot is peaking at the right time. Toni, well, cratering right at the wrong time…
- West Side the Best Side - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:44 pm:
While it was quite a surprise to hear Ed Burke saying what he did in the Burger King affair, since I always thought he was a smart enough guy to avoid saying stuff rather than just “Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more”, you would have to accept that both Burkes to have lost their minds to accept Preckwinkle’s claim. Lower court judges know what they can and can’t do about being political even in years they’re on the ballot, you gotta figure a Supreme knows as well.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:47 pm:
I hope you folks are right for it would be great for LL to beat out Toni. She might have trouble beating Daley but that is another day.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:48 pm:
“Either Anne Burke violated the judicial code of ethics or Toni Preckwinkle is lying”
Might well be both — this is Illinois…
– MrJM
- Chillicothe Chester - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:56 pm:
Assuming TP makes the runoff, this is going to get legs. I’m beginning to think that is becoming less and less likely, however.
- Dupage Bard - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 3:07 pm:
Who’s voters is Lightfoot picking up? The consensus was Toni would be number one with everyone fighting for the number two spot. Can Lightfoot do enough to jump over Daley and Mendoza? Or is her snagging of Preckwinkle voters enough to drop Toni to number 2 and Daley or Mendoza sneaks into number one?
- NIU Grad - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 3:20 pm:
Lightfoot has had a VERY good week.
However, if this still ends up with Toni v. Daley…and Toni has done nothing but upset reporters these last few weeks…Daley will have a lot of oppo information for ads.
- Chicago_Downstater - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 3:22 pm:
@DuPage Bard
That’s a really interesting question. I think it’s really important to remember that the latest polls show that 1 in 5 voters are still undecided (about 20% I think). If you’ve seen something more recent, then please let me know. Thanks in advance.
If that is still holding true, then Lightfoot could pick up voters off of Preckwinkle and the large undecided crowd. That may be enough to lift her into 2nd or–less likely but still plausible–1st place.
To be fair the polling hasn’t been that bountiful. And higher undecideds just could mean more folks staying home for the first vote. But I’m hopeful. And with a wide-open race, why not, right?
- Roman - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 3:23 pm:
== Who’s voters is Lightfoot picking up? ==
A whole bunch of undecideds out there. She doesn’t need to take votes away from anyone, just capture the late-breakers.
- Original Rambler - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 3:50 pm:
Got a poll call yesterday so there should be more recent info out there.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 4:16 pm:
I wouldn’t call Lightfoot’s week so great when the Trib reported she lied to a federal judge and her defense was that’s what her supervisors told her to do.
- Fax Machine - Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 4:38 pm:
The Preckwinkle people keep wanting people to care about the Lightfoot 7th Circuit reprimand and nobody cares. Move on already.