* From Gov. JB Pritzker’s press conference today…
Q: [Some people are saying] this is all political. You won’t call the president, because you have your own aspirations…
Pritzker: That’s silly. That is absolutely ridiculous. Let me be clear, the President is begging me to call him, to ask him to do something that we don’t want. He wants me to call him and ask him to call in National Guard to the city of Chicago. We don’t want it. So that’s why I’m not calling the president.
I have been very clear about what we do want. What we do want is civilian law enforcement assistance. We want to make sure that we have enough FBI, ATF DEA on the ground. We have some already. As you know, they do really good work, working in tandem with state police, working in tandem with Chicago Police Department, but we can use more. We can interdict more drugs and more guns that are coming across the border, into the city, into the state of Illinois. And there’s more work that we can do to make sure that we’re fighting crime with, again, civilian law enforcement. And I’ve been very clear about that. The President wants me to call him about National Guard. I’m not going to do that. […]
Q: Don’t you think if you maybe called him, you can lower the temperature and all of this, and you can ask for the civilian resources, the law enforcement, not military resources that you just talked about. For example, sir, if you were president, and you wanted someone to call you, would you want them to call you?
Pritzker: No, I would pick up the phone and call them. What I don’t understand, why everybody doesn’t understand this. It’s as if he’s begging me to call him because he wants me to ask him for National Guard. That is what he is trying to do.
There’s a second reason, and you should pay close attention to this. He wants to set into the fact pattern that the governor called him to ask for help. Why? Because he’s going to end up in court. He’s going to end up in court, and that will be a fact that they will use in court that the governor called to ask for help. And I’m sorry I’m not going to provide him with evidence to support his desire to have the court rule in his favor. I’m just not going to do that.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
- Incandenza - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 3:55 pm:
It’s good to see some very clear-eyed responses in the face of the press asking questions to try and paint the governor as somehow lacking in action. While the press works 24/7 to sane-wash the president, bring their attention back to what we know the president’s ridiculous goals are and expose the childish and pathetic character of him and his tactics.
- Google Is Your Friend - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:22 pm:
- Incandenza - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 3:55 pm:
Just look at the meltdowns the Politico/Axios types and right-wing media are having over the tweets from Newsom’s press office, when Trump tweets (or “truths”) like that daily.
- Irreverent - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:34 pm:
I’m honestly having a tough time believing those questions were asked in good faith. I’d love to be wrong, but the cynical answer increasingly seems to be the correct one.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:39 pm:
What naive child asked Pritzker those questions? Embarrassing stuff.
- Captain Obvious - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:41 pm:
My question to JB is this: Since you recognize the pressing need for more civilian law enforcement what plans do you have to assist the city of Chicago in beefing up their police department to combat crime? How about the state police?
- Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 5:05 pm:
=My question to JB is this:=
I take it that you haven’t tuned into or seen any of the multiple press conferences that the Governor has held over the past week or so. Because the answer to your question doesn’t reflect a failing on the part of the Governor but rather the narrow sources you choose to gather news and information from.