48 Comments - Real - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 4:55 pm: What now? Can we get Rauner out of office? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 4:59 pm: Welp, when you set up a meeting talking actual transactions and dollars, that ain’t a blind trust. Rauner misled the state again, and used the Mansion to meet and discuss his own business transactions. - Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:00 pm: I’ll reset my egg timer for the next time Rauner lies. - Dude Abides - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:01 pm: JB has plenty of money like Rauner does. Obviously Rauner is going to go down in the gutter with campaign ads. Since he can’t run on his record he really has no other choice. For every dollar Rauner spends attacking JB’s integrity JB needs to match that dollar hammering away on Rauner over this sleazy deal. Rauner has an insatiable thirst for making money, regardless of how he makes it or who gets hurt in the process. Hammer that point home. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:07 pm: How long has Rauner been running his businesses while being governor? Is this the lone instance where Rauner was involved in his private businesses… … oh, this… and trying to get Mike Tomlin fired as Steelers Head Coach… … the only two. - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:09 pm: Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly and Bruce Rauner’s gotta lie. It is his nature. – MrJM - Anon221 - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:18 pm: Time to get some new pants, I suspect;) - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:26 pm: “And then I might just Jump back on and ride Like a cowboy Into the dawn to Montana Movin’ to Montana soon Yippy ty o ty ay” –Frank Zappa - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:28 pm: Somewhere, Ole Slip and Sue is waiting in the wings to help the man who hired her and these troubling facts that have appeared… - Trolling Troll - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:28 pm: Glad to see the tax payers are paying for the Rauner’s personal assistants. - Just Me - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:39 pm: Is a business dealing different than a lawsuit? If Rauner is named in a lawsuit, can he legally say, “Oh, sorry, I’m not involved in my business dealings right now, you’ll have to postpone the case until I’m no longer Governor.” (No snark intended.) - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:42 pm: But really, he didn’t want this sealed. He didn’t know anything. Kip who? Is there anyone who still believes Rauner about anything? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:54 pm: From now on, I’m calling it the $15 million dollar porch… but with respect. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 5:59 pm: ==The problem is that Gov. Rauner said he was handing over control of his business dealings and told reporters he didn’t know why he was being sued by Kirkpatrick when pressed last fall.== And also, just because nobody accused you… - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:05 pm: HBO - “Dad’s Home State” - Season 4, Episode 6 Bruce gets into the SUV and circles the Mansion, mutters to himself “Kip, Kip, Kip” the entire ride. Diana interviews crisis managers who specialize in handling the removal of other crisis managers. Diana’s State Employee changes title to “Food and Beverage Chairman”. Patty orders Tums by the gross, Anne disagrees with Hud if it was a porch or a veranda that Bruce did his business at the mansion, they turn to “Alexa” to break the tie. Comedy, 63 minutes. - Wading in... - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:09 pm: Will the new State employee ethics test say conducting personal business on State property is ok if done on a porch and/or when values approach fifteen million dollars? - A Jack - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:23 pm: He did use a state paid resource, his secretary, to schedule the private business meeting. Using state resources for private business is a clear ethics violation. It was at five, so perhaps Rauner didn’t do the business on state time. Rauner could be in trouble with his Statement of Economic Interest filing if he failed to disclose some of his business dealings due to his claim of a blind trust. - Rabid - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:46 pm: “just because you weren’t accused of any wrongdoing doesn’t mean you didn’t do anything wrong” - Thoughts Matter - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:52 pm: Just because it is legal for the Governor to have business meetings on the mansion porch about stuff he put in a blind trust… doesn’t mean there wasn’t any wrongdoing, definitely doesn’t mean voters have to like it. So far the only difference between him and the leader of thefree world is that Rauner understands women are human beings. - Henry Francis - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 6:59 pm: This is such baloney. The Guv doesn’t talk bidness on the back porch. That’s where he likes to have a cold Stagg after a hard day of work. And where he does his best whittlin’. - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:01 pm: He’ll have to take the Quinnochiio costume back out and wear it again. - Not a Billionaire - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:32 pm: A Jack @623 & ap have it he was using a state employee to schedule the meeting. It would be up to the Sangamon county states attorney to decide to prosecute and of course there is the legislature. - Not a Billionaire - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:35 pm: What would Bruce Rauner demand if this were any other state employee. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:48 pm: A man with 9 homes used the People’s House in Springfield to hide a meeting where he couldn’t disclose he invested millions to get a 300% return off those millions. That’s Bruce Rauner - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:51 pm: ===A man with 9 homes used the People’s House in Springfield to hide a meeting where he couldn’t disclose he invested millions to get a 300% return off those millions. That’s Bruce Rauner=== Oh, Governor Rauner… Just because you weren’t accused of any wrongdoing doesn’t mean you didn’t do anything wrong. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:03 pm: Crain’s, 1/19/15: –The blind trust means the couple will not be involved in decisions regarding their investments. The couple is granting a legal power of attorney to an adviser who will control the funds. They have directed that all gains from investments that have state contracts be donated to charity.– How’s that going, all “the gains from investments that have state contracts be donated to charity?” An accounting and press release, perhaps? I mean, you put out a press release saying you were going to do it. Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Actually, I’d be happy to know what investments the governor has that have state contracts. Given that his blind trust is not a blind trust, I think we all have a right to know. Too much to ask, from a corruption-fighter? - Chicago 20 - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:09 pm: Maybe, just maybe Rauner was going to use the money he was cheating Kip out of to reimburse the State for some of that $7.11 billion his administration lost from the Medicaid fund?/s - Whatever - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:09 pm: Just Me @ 5:39 ==Is a business dealing different than a lawsuit? If Rauner is named in a lawsuit, can he legally say, “Oh, sorry, I’m not involved in my business dealings right now, you’ll have to postpone the case until I’m no longer Governor.”== It is different - he would have to respond to the suit, or lose and maybe be held in contempt. But this wasn’t a lawsuit - the lawsuit is about the business deal that was made on the back porch. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:16 pm: He was using a state employee to work for his private business. - Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:27 pm: ===So far the only difference between him and the leader of thefree world is that Rauner understands women are human beings.=== Unless of course they need childcare assistance, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, domestic violence services, secondary education, homelessness services, etc, etc. - Rabid - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:35 pm: “if I ever go looking for my hearts desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard? Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with” - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:16 pm: what is all the excitement about…..springpatch folks need to find something to get more excited about than a simple meeting. What if he met with the guy at the local hotel…would you get that excited. does this investment effect state gov… relax - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:21 pm: ===what is all the excitement about…=== Rauner said he couldn’t even do a business deal, all his businesses and money was in a trust… … and yet… Rauner is doing business transactions… on the porch of the Governor’s Mansion no less, when he said being governor, he wouldn’t do it, couldn’t even do it. Ethical problem, honesty problem … no, “no problem” Rauner wanted all this under seal. “Why?” Welp, it would show Rauner was conducting business, his personal business, something he said he couldn’t do, wouldn’t do, but did… - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:47 pm: Let’s recall that the FBI started investigating and recording Blago for illegal hiring practices. But that when they discovered the real crimes were so very much bigger, they basically dropped following all the hiring fraud cases, and his wife’s real estate money laundering, though there was tons of easy evidence, to cover the more outrageous things, like shaking down a Children’s cancer hospital, a race track owner, and of course, “negotiating” the senate seat. Rauner has been going after Pritzger for talking to Blago when all that was known publicly at that time was that Blago’s father-in-law ratted him out about hiring fraud; not any of the bigger stuff that was later discovered. Now Rauner has no moral high ground (if he ever did in the first place) regarding Pritzger. Rauner’s caught in a similar net now, and the schadenfreude is delicious. This is going to keep eroding and eroding Rauner from now until November. Any time Rauner tries to make a play for earned media, he risks another grilling on the porch scandal. And Rauner’s scandal is easier to explain to Joe Voter than the tenuous connections made in the anti-Pritzger attack ads. The irony is, in grubbing to scam Kip out of a few more million on some 20mil’s profit, he’s ruined the re-election bid he spent at least fifty mil (and counting) to win. THAT is a businessman! Or not. - Thoughts Matter - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:58 pm: Cubs I see your point- but he’s not providing those services for men either. So he’s an equal opportunity welcher. If that’s a word. - illinois manufacturer - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 10:01 pm: And he used a state employee as well. I think this should be generating a lot more excitment. - Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 11:16 pm: The thing about it is the hubris it speskd to his lack of character Kip lives in Winnetka and it’s not like Rauner was in the mansion every session day. Even if he was, they could’ve met on the weekend back home without a trace. Instead, he does it in what is, for Rauner, the most “public” of private venues, and used hi state administrative assistant to boot. Was there some sort of urgency around the meeting? Lotta hmmms with this one - Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:59 am: Pushing ethical issues aside for a minute, what kind of person gets 15 million profit and sues their friend to get a little more? Who would pursue money so aggressively? I guess that is why Rauner is a near billionaire and most people are not. Does he have a glimmer of self awareness that he is a freak? - Rabid - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:26 am: lying Bruce doubles down, lie to kip, lie to the citizens, nothing illegal about that. A journey to the center of his mind - illinois manufacturer - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:56 am: So true 559 am ….and it seems to be how the majority of the top 1make their money….if we cant stop it we should tax and put ir to productive use like schools,universities and infrastrucure. I really want to hear him argue that somehow making this 15 million through nothing more than wheeling and dealing is more productive than preschool. - illinois manufacturer - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:01 am: I see an article about charity helping pets chemo that is more worthwhile…..its not hard to add to the list…..low income housing……They can keep doing it but we should tax it like tge gambling it is. - Rabid - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:02 am: 1 Timothy 6:10 - Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:11 am: “what kind of person gets 15 million profit and sues their friend to get a little more?” The same kind who tries to slash the rights of all workers and give harsh cuts to state workers while his income skyrockets. Bruce Rauner is exactly the reason why we need a progressive income tax and full union rights. - Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:36 am: The more I think about this, the more someone with authority needs to open a full investigation. Rauner took this meeting at the Governor’s Mansion. Did he take others? He used state resources to set it up. Did he do that with others? What was he investing in? Was it related to state finances (he’d previously invested in pension funds)? Was he taking multiple meetings on state property, using state resources, to discuss personal investments connected to state finances? There’s probably a lot of “Nos” in there, but shouldn’t we make sure? Shouldn’t the guy who has spent the last two years whinging about other people getting rich from their state offices also come clean? - Pundent - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:54 am: =what kind of person gets 15 million profit and sues their friend to get a little more= Well in Rauner’s defense his current job only pays him $1 so he’s gotta hustle to survive. My general rule of thumb is that if you have to tell us that you’re being “transparent” you’re probably not. That’s the great thing about transparency, it’s kind of self-evident. Sort of like being a stable genius. - Nick Name - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 9:44 am: ===What now? Can we get Rauner out of office?=== Vote accordingly on November 6. - Name Withheld - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 9:44 am: Starting a new business: Backporch Financial Advisors. Specializing in blind powers of attorney and coach removal. - Molly Maguire - Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 10:44 am: It might be “fine” to meet on the back porch, but you have to admit, it’s a delicious detail that won’t be forgotten. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.