Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » *** UPDATED x1 *** Rauner professes ignorance, shifts blame for one-day body man to staff

*** UPDATED x1 *** Rauner professes ignorance, shifts blame for one-day body man to staff

Friday, Jul 21, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

One of his recent hires didn’t last a full day, after homophobic and racially-charged tweets surfaced.

Ben Tracy was hired to be Rauner’s body man, which is the assistant who travels almost everywhere with the governor. […]

“We have zero tolerance for any, any behavior that’s just fundamentally inappropriate,” said Rauner.

Although Tracy’s firing has been widely reported, Rauner appeared uncertain of the staffer’s position within his office when asked about it on Thursday.

“I don’t know (his) exact role or title. You know, we’re obviously adding people all the time,” said Rauner. […]

Rauner said he has a team of people who making hiring decisions.

“In that particular case, I don’t know. There are probably a dozen people who are involved in hiring,” said Rauner.

He didn’t know his own body man’s role? He’s only had a body man since the campaign. Perhaps he just doesn’t want to admit that he has a taxpayer-financed valet. And, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with having a body man. They play an important role.

Also, reporters have claimed, including myself, that sources have said Rauner interviewed Tracy. A governor who doesn’t interview his own potential body man is a pretty darned stupid governor. After all, a governor will be with the guy (or woman) hours and hours every day, sometimes seven days a week. So, I find that claim truly difficult to believe.

Also, great move throwing the new staff under the bus on this topic. Same as it ever was. Nothing is ever this man’s fault.

…Adding… As noted by a commenter, the governor said this not long ago…

“On things that we can control, I would give us an A.”

Apparently, that grade is no longer correct, unless Speaker Madigan somehow exerted control over hiring Rauner’s personal aide.

…Adding More… Let’s look at this aspect of the interview…

Rauner then described how he learned about the staffer’s social media postings.

“I heard something about it. I don’t know, but I heard somebody came in, they found some old behavior that was completely unacceptable. They terminated him immediately, which is the appropriate thing to do,” said Rauner.

Um, dude, weren’t you in the car with him when the story broke?

*** UPDATE *** From the interview at the 1:59 mark…

REPORTER: But weren’t you involved in interviewing him?

RAUNER: Interviewing?

REPORTER: When he was hired?

RAUNER: No. I met him once.

This guy.

53 Comments

- Demoralized - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:55 am:
Isn’t it nice we have a Governor who absolutely refuses to take responsibility for anything? He’s our Victim-in-Chief.

- 47th Ward - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:57 am:
“On the things I can control, I give myself an A.”

- LizPhairTax - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:57 am:
I don’t know (his) exact role or title but I’ve been doin’ all my own wipin’ since last week!

- Roman - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:58 am:
Another lie. We need a scoreboard to keep track.

- Pelonski - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:58 am:
I’m not familiar with WSIL TV. Is it owned by Rauner or one of his supporters? Otherwise, I don’t see how they keep leaving this journalistic gold on the table. The Governor could be a career maker for the right journalist.

- Nick Name - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 10:59 am:
Mike Madigan, and the Rauner hiring decisions he controls…

- Norseman - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:00 am:
Well said Demoralized.

- WSJ Paywall - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:00 am:
One of the least appealing aspects of Rauner is that he’s a billionaire plutocrat who somehow always finds himself playing the victim. Victimized by Madigan, his staff, House Republicans etc.

- Juice - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:00 am:
A dozen people involved in hiring a body man?

Maybe the Governor is right, there is too much bureaucracy. /s

- Anon - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:02 am:
He probably didn’t know it was flooding in Illinois because he doesn’t read the news. It’s the fault of his staff for not telling him about the flood.

- northsider (the original) - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:03 am:
Taller, thinner Trump.

At least our governor has better hair.

- Team Warwick - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:03 am:
Why do they call it body man, instead of go-fer or assistant?
And yep i can believe other people would be in charge of hiring the go-fer.

- Phil King - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:07 am:
Why is this story still alive?

Rauner probably did interview him personally. The people who vetted him did a terrible job and missed some terrible statements. The error was quickly rectified.

- former southerner - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:07 am:
They were going for a body double for security purposes instead of a body man but they were unable to find another human being with such capacity for lying much less one that also looked like the goob.

- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:08 am:
Phil,

It’s still alive because your employer refuses to accept responsibility for anything he’s ever done wrong. And yea, we all know you work for the state so why are you typing in CapFax on taxpayer funded time?

- Northsider - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:13 am:
LizPhairTax @ 10:57: Oof. That’ll leave a mark.

- Earnest - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:15 am:
>Rauner professes ignorance, shifts blame

He said he would run government like a business. Has he demonstrated any other business skill than this?

- RNUG - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:17 am:
Illinois own Sgt Hans Georg Schultz …

- Tommydanger - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:22 am:
“The buck stops here” is only relevant to the governor if he hits one with his car.

- Steve Rogers - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:22 am:
The story is that is yet another example of Rauner’s psychological displacement disorder. If his scape-goating had never occurred before, fine, it’s not a story. But it happens every day. It’s exhausting and frustrating to hear our governor take no responsibility for anything. It’s always someone else’s fault. You were elected to be the Big Guy, yet all you do is point fingers. it may make you feel better, but it resolves nothing. Grow up.

- Dome Gnome - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:24 am:
Who knew the IPI would introduce so many units of government?

- 47th Ward - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:24 am:
===Why is this story still alive?===

lol Phil. Read the updates. If Rauner keeps throwing gasoline on the embers, the fire is never going to go out.

- Arsenal - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:24 am:
==Why is this story still alive?==

Because stories don’t have to die on a schedule most convenient to Rauner and his partisans.

- LizPhairTax - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:27 am:
@Northsider

That’ll leave a mark.

If his wipin’ is anything like his governin’, yes it will.

- Chris Widger - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:27 am:
No surprise that Dems want to get everyone fired–they already worked together earlier this month to put Tick-Tock the Budget Clock out of a job.

- WhoKnew - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:30 am:
Here’s a hint for the Governor.
It’s called “plausible” deniability./s

- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:30 am:
I’ve read that private sector HR people always check a job candidate’s social media activity before hiring today.

The New and Improved Superstars weren’t smart enough to do that before hiring this person?

- Anon221 - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:38 am:
If Rauner needs some help with communications, Sean Spicer is now available.

- Phil King - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:42 am:
==Because stories don’t have to die on a schedule most convenient to Rauner and his partisans. ==

I’m just asking what the value of it is or what the current concern is. They hired someone they shouldn’t have, they fired him.

Wouldn’t it be more interesting to pick through the backgrounds of people still working with the administration? They’ll actually affect the state.

- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:46 am:
===Wouldn’t it be more interesting===

Get your own blog.

Seriously, this line of yours is ridiculous. What the governor says matters and what he said in that interview is a bunch of hooey. That would be news.

- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:49 am:
Gov. Burger King is serving up the whoppers today.

- Pelonski - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:49 am:
“I’m just asking what the value of it is or what the current concern is.”

Rauner’s lying is the story, not the body man.

- CEA - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 11:50 am:
===The New and Improved Superstars===

“Faster than a Nerf dart; more powerful than a model locomotive; able to step over low garden walls with moderate effort…”

- Arsenal - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 12:21 pm:
==I’m just asking what the value of it is or what the current concern is.==

The incompetence of the Administration in hiring him in the first place, and what they’re going to do to fix that going forward.

- Arsenal - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
==Wouldn’t it be more interesting to pick through the backgrounds of people still working with the administration?==

You mean like the Comms staffer who sees more Nazis than Indiana Jones did at Cairo?

- RNUG - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 12:53 pm:
They could have avoided that mess at DCFS if they had done some social media research first. There’s still stuff to be found. … Just sayin’

- Dog - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 12:54 pm:
Everytime the Guv opens his mouth all I hear is the sidestep song from the Best Little W house in Texas…..

- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:02 pm:
Rauner re-elect mantra: I lie therefore I am.

- DuPage Bard - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:04 pm:
Oops what’s the phrase-
” It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think your are a fool than to open it and remover all doubt.” - Mark Twain

- don the legend - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:08 pm:
PK. You must be applying for the vacant body man position. Am I right?

- Mazzone Son of Jack - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
I bet he wishes he had Charlie Young right now.

http://westwing.wikia.com/wiki/Charlie_Young

- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:16 pm:
Wow.

You mean to tell me Rauner thinks he looks at all truthful there?

That video isn’t helping.

- @MisterJayEm - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:18 pm:
December 2014: “I’ll take all of the heat. I’ll take all of the arrows.”

July 2017: “In that particular case, I don’t know. There are probably a dozen people who are involved in hiring *** I met him once.”

Saint Sebastian he ain’t.

– MrJM

- Demoralized - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:18 pm:
You heard something about it? Is he serious? Does he not understand how utterly incompetent he is making himself look. It’s embarrassing.

- ArchPundit - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:19 pm:
===Why do they call it body man, instead of go-fer or assistant?

They stay on the body of the person they work for so if they get handed stuff, the body man takes it. If they need a tissue, body man has it. Need a drink, body man has it in the bag. Need aspirin, etc, etc. Their job is to be right there so the principal doesn’t have to deal with the dumb stuff. For a Governor, they have to make so many decisions all day, it reduces the little things they have to worry about.

- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:36 pm:
“I met him and he is a good kid. I know he regrets writing that stuff because he lost an exciting position in my administration. My staff needed to consider our people’s writing and comments in social media. Had we known about this before he was hired, he wouldn’t have been hired.”

Nope - Rauner took the coward’s approach.
Some leader, eh?

- a drop in - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:37 pm:
(picture of Rauner morphing into Trump)

- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:38 pm:
Pill King,
Your governor isn’t a persistent rascal.
He’s a lying weasel.
That’s news.

- Anon - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:39 pm:
Reggie Love was Obama’s body man

- Publius - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:48 pm:
Governor “Not Me” strokes again

- Huh? - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:52 pm:
OW - Comparing weasels to 1.4% gives weasels a bad image.

- Publius - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:56 pm:
If I were governor Rauner I would say this. Someone else must have mis spelled strikes on my previous post, probably madigan

- Nick Name - Friday, Jul 21, 17 @ 1:57 pm:
Brave Sir Rauner ran away…

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