* Richard Irvin was asked this week if he favored abolishing the FOID card…

Well, what I say is we definitely should work to make sure that we do two things that I think are important for gun safety. Make sure that we don’t have more criminals having access to guns, and we don’t have folks with mental illnesses having access to guns. So I will agree that the FOID system in Illinois has to be reworked and come up with a new way to ensure we get less guns in criminals’ hands and less folks with mental illnesses getting guns.

A short answer and directly to the point. I could get used to that. But I’m not sure how strengthening restrictions on gun ownership will fly in a GOP primary when I think most if not all other candidates want to get rid of the FOID law. He also said this…

Irvin: The more laws we create, gun laws, just inhibits and prevents law abiding citizens from protecting themselves.

Q: And it creates criminals out of law-abiding citizens…

Irvin: And it can, in many cases, create criminals out of law-abiding citizens

He also said his FOID card had expired during the pandemic and he’s still waiting on a new one.

* Rodney Davis campaign…

Mary Miller has flip-flopped on the issue of military funding and is attempting to hide from her past votes with the Squad to defund our military and block a pay raise for our troops.

“Carpet-bagging politician Mary Miller voted with AOC and the Squad to defund our military two times. She bragged about being the only Republican from Illinois to vote that way. Miller even attacked Republicans like Rodney Davis, Mike Bost, Jim Jordan, and others who voted for the defense funding legislation in December. Now facing intense pressure for her terrible votes to defund our military, Miller is trying to have it both ways, but we won’t let her get away with it. Mary Miller is a flip-flopper who can’t be trusted.” - Aaron DeGroot, Davis campaign spokesperson

Mary Miller twice voted in September and December against defense funding legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides the Department of Defense (DOD) with the legal authority to spend taxpayer dollars in support of our military. Miller teamed up with AOC and other far-left members of the Squad in opposing the NDAA. In December, Miller bragged about being the only Republican from Illinois to vote against the NDAA and called Republicans who voted for it RINOs.

WCIA 3’s Mark Maxwell previously reported on Miller’s vote against the NDAA in December:

Just yesterday, Miller voted for defense spending legislation which appropriates taxpayer dollars for our military. Even though she voted for defense spending, the effect of her vote against the NDAA which is now law would have limited the military’s ability to spend that money, including their ability to provide pay raises for our troops.

What changed for Miller? Perhaps she realized how terrible her votes are and decided to change course, but that doesn’t change the fact that she bragged about it at the time and attacked Republicans for supporting the NDAA. Mary Miller has pulled a John Kerry and flip-flopped. She can’t be trusted to support our troops.

* Irvin campaign…

Being complicit with corruption is nothing new for JB Pritzker, but a devastating new investigative report unveiled even more fraud at his embattled state agency, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, which has failed to stop scammers from stealing the unemployment benefits of nearly 4,000 Illinois residents.

The state of Illinois has knowingly put money into fraudulent bank accounts–money that was intended to go to unemployed residents who applied for assistance. Instead, scammers hacked accounts and redirected those unemployment funds. The worst part? IDES officials and JB Pritzker knew it was happening, and did nothing to stop it. The problem is ongoing.

While issues at this agency aren’t new, what is new are the extensive lengths the agency under Pritzker’s rule will go to avoid accountability and transparency–even for those residents owed thousands of dollars.

According to IDES through this CBS News Report, it would be ‘unduly burdensome’ to release documents that could show the scope of the problem. The Pritzker Administration also refused questions, including the total number of dollars lost to unemployment fraud.

“As thousands of people across Illinois were desperate to receive their unemployment benefits during the pandemic, the Pritzker administration knowingly sent taxpayer money to scammers,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Pritzker’s clear indifference to the needs of the families and businesses struggling through the pandemic continues on.”

* ILGOP…

The picture that’s becoming clear to the people of Illinois is this: JB Pritzker remained a close partner to Mike Madigan until the day before he was indicted for corruption - from giving Madigan’s criminal enterprise $10 million, hiring Madigan’s cronies into his administration, refusing to call on him to resign as Speaker for months, lauding Madigan when he finally left the House and even calling him the week of his indictment.

In January, when the Better Government Association first revealed a massive investigation into millions of dollars of infrastructure projects requested by Mike Madigan that were approved and coordinated by Governor JB Pritzker and his key budget staff, the ILGOP called on Pritzker to answer questions about his role in authorizing taxpayer money be spent on secret infrastructure projects at Mike Madigan’s request. Today, we renew those calls.

Specifically, we demand no money for Madigan-connected projected be allowed to move forward until Governor Pritzker:

1. Releases all communications between the Office of the Speaker of the House and the Governor’s office, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, and/or the Illinois Department of Transportation since 2019; and
2. Releases all communications between the Governor’s Office and both the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Transportation regarding Rebuild Illinois projects.

* DPI…

After two months of hiding from the public, the Ken Griffin-funded Rauner Reboot slate emerged again this week to dodge tough questions and repeat outright lies in a short press conference. Led by Richard Irvin’s long-winded diatribes and evasive non-answers, the Griffin slate has resorted to spouting claims that are easily proven as false instead of answering simple questions. Just like Griffin, Irvin and the slate simply refuse to answer the basic questions they don’t like, instead resorting to pivots, dodges, and filibusters to keep the questions at bay.

• Irvin claimed he “succeeded in reducing taxes in the city of Aurora” but failed to mention that utility taxes went up by 400% under his leadership.
• Irvin dodged questions about why his ads prominently feature his five years as a prosecutor and not his fifteen years as a defense attorney.
• Despite hitting his fellow Republicans for voting for Democrats, Irvin refused to own up to his own votes where he pulled Democratic primary ballots in 2014, 2016, and 2020.
• Comptroller candidate Shannon Teresi challenged everyone to “open up the 2020 financial statements” under Comptroller Mendoza. Doing so would show that the comptroller is eliminating the bill backlog, which was at $16 billion when she took office in 2016 and is now down $3.8 billion with the office paying bills within 15 days.
• At the start of his campaign Irvin claimed he called in the national guard in the summer of 2020, but that claim has been disproven repeatedly as only the governor has that power.
• In February, Irvin claimed he’s “always been opposed to mandates,” but in reality he actively promoted many COVID-19 mandates.
• None of the Griffin slate candidates outside of Irvin have filed a single A-1 fundraising disclosure since their campaigns began despite claiming a month ago that “fundraising events are being planned.”

Try as they might, the Rauner Reboot slate cannot avoid answering questions forever. From who they voted for in past elections to dubious claims about their record, Illinois voters deserve the truth from Griffin and his slate about their real plans for Illinois.

Teresi was correct, by the way.

* Frerichs campaign…

Friend,

This Women’s History Month, I want to highlight the life and legacy of Grace Scipio. Mrs. Scipio was a longtime Chicago Public Schools teacher who passed away in August of 2019 at the age of 94.

When she passed, Mrs. Scipio had bequeathed $250,000 in her savings account to her alma mater, Spelman College, an HBCU in Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, this wish was overlooked by her bank — who instead surrendered these funds to my office as unclaimed property.

In my role as treasurer, I was honored to facilitate the return of these funds to Spelman college and honor the final wishes of this woman who dedicated her life to educating Illinois children.

Ms. Scipio began her teaching career in 1948 at Doolittle Elementary, later teaching at Burke Elementary and Tanner Elementary. She eventually retired after 39 years and joined the Retired Teachers Association of Chicago, where she volunteered until her death.

Now that her gift has been rightfully reunited with Spelman College, it can be used to further inspire and support our nation’s next leaders of change.

It was my honor to play a small role in ensuring Mrs. Scipio’s legacy is carried forward through my office’s Unclaimed Property program. If you’d like to check if you have any property owed to you, please visit our iCash website.

Thank you for taking a moment to read Mrs. Scipio’s story this Women’s History Month.

Sincerely,

Mike

* On a related note, here’s NBC 5…

A Chicago family said they almost walked away from more than $6,500 in unclaimed funds, left behind by their late father, after years of failed attempts to obtain it from the Illinois State Treasurer’s office.

Three decades after their late father’s death, the family had found his name on a long list of Illinois unclaimed property owners.

Some two years after starting the process of re-claiming their father’s money, his daughter says it was the hardest she ever had to work for any money, and she found the process riddled with unnecessary obstacles.

The Illinois Treasurer’s Office is defending its requirements, saying it has to employ rigorous standards to combat fraud.

Are those standards too complicated when it comes to heirs of a long-deceased relative?

*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…

Jim Marter for Congress Announces Major Endorsement: Freedom Caucus Congresswoman, Illinois’ Mary Miller

Oswego, IL (March 10, 2022) – “I’m excited and grateful to have Congresswoman Mary Miller’s endorsement. She’s one of the shining stars representing Illinois because of her leadership, intelligence and courage. I’m grateful for both her public service and her endorsement,” said Jim Marter, running to unseat Lauren Underwood in IL-14.

“Mary is a fighter for protecting the vote and protecting our freedoms. We share a passion for securing the border, lowering inflation, defending workers against government overreach and defending children against indoctrination. That’s just scratching the surface. My campaign has been about shared values with the Freedom Caucus and I can assure you, the people of Illinois’ 14th District will be sending her reinforcements to battle the Biden agenda, when they send me to Congress.”

“Elections have consequences and if we increase the number of America First conservatives in Congress, we can return to energy independence, functional supply chains, increased opportunity and a thriving economy. We just need to replace people with radical leftist ideas like Lauren Underwood, with people of courage and principle. Mary Miller has inspired me with her leadership and I will keep my word to the people of my district and ‘do what I said’ which is the Freedom Caucus motto.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** I missed this one…

Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) announced he has been endorsed by Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA), deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, in his re-election campaign. This endorsement comes on the heels of endorsements from 14 other Members of Congress, including Illinois Reps. Bill Foster and Brad Schneider, as well as Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Blue Dog Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus.

“Since Sean and I came to Congress in 2019, we’ve fought hand-in-hand to lower costs for families, hold corporations accountable, and combat the climate crisis,” said Rep. Katie Porter. “Sean brings a wealth of real-world experience into policy-making in a way that is desperately needed in Congress. I’m proud to endorse him.”

“Rep. Porter and I share a common goal in Congress—to do everything we can to deliver real results for our constituents,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “I’m honored to have her support and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the 6th District.”