Bailey provided NBC 5 with a copy of the two-page income tax cover sheets for his last five years worth of returns.
According to those documents, his Adjusted Gross Income in 2017 was $1,776. The following year, it increased to $211,000. In 2019, it declined slightly to $189,000.
Amid the COVID pandemic, Bailey reported a loss of $164,000, while in 2021 he reported a loss of $99,000.
Bailey cited the purchase of new equipment for businesses for reported losses of income.
During those two years, ProPublica reported that Bailey received more than $570,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, and the Chicago Tribune reported that he received $280,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
…Adding… Pritzker will release his tax returns when he files next month, the Sun-Times tells us…
Pritzker’s campaign offered praise for the governor’s rival for peeling back the curtain on his federal tax obligations but questioned why Bailey withheld the release of his state tax returns for the period.
“We’re glad to see Bailey releasing his federal returns,” Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Natalie Edelstein said. “We look forward to the release of his state returns, as the governor has done every year.”
* My associate Isabel Miller was at today’s Pritzker press conference today and asked the governor if anything needs to be changed in the SAFE-T Act before January 1st and if he wanted any specific changes. His response…
Well, let’s just set the record straight with everybody. The SAFE-T Act is designed to keep murderers, domestic abusers, violent criminals in jail. And to address that, the problem of the current system, which allows those people, murderers, domestic abusers, and so on, to buy their way out of jail by just paying bail.
So what we’re addressing the problem that exists today, making sure that we’re also addressing the problem of a single mother who shoplifted diapers for her baby who is put in jail and kept there for six months because she doesn’t have a couple of hundred dollars to pay for bail. So that’s what the SAFE-T Act is about.
Are there changes or adjustments that need to be, of course. And there have been adjustments made and there will continue to be. Laws are not immutable. They are not, you know, there with no change that’s ever made to them. Of course, of course.
And then the press conference ended.
…Adding… House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Yesterday, once again, Governor Pritzker claimed that the SAFE-T Act wasn’t a rushed disaster of a law. Today, he admits that his SAFE-T Acts needs a fourth trailer bill but is unable to explain how the law needs to be changed. How can anyone trust this governor when he talks about crime and the SAFE-T Act?
Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey is out with a new ad that leans hard on his role as a farmer, showing him working his farm in southern Illinois as Paul Harvey’s famous speech, “So God Made a Farmer,” plays. The ad ends with a frame that says, “Illinois needs a farmer.”
But, whatever, here’s the non-campaign affiliated video anyway…
To mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month tomorrow, the Democratic Party of Illinois today launched a new ad campaign featuring its first-ever Spanish-language ads.
“These unprecedented Spanish-language ads are the first of many efforts to expand voter outreach under my leadership at the Democratic Party of Illinois,” said Chair Lisa Hernandez. “The Party is committed to new approaches and innovative ideas that will engage underrepresented communities leading up to the general election in November and beyond.”
“This is a big deal. With this early investment in its first-ever Spanish-language ads, the Democratic Party of Illinois is demonstrating its deep commitment to Latino communities in Chicago and across Illinois,” said U.S. Representative and State Central Committeeperson Chuy García. “Initiatives like these are exactly how we’ll connect with voters in every corner of our state ahead of the November election. I look forward to working with DPI to do just that in the months ahead.”
The broader campaign, focused on minimum wage and support for working families, consists of six 16-second digital videos running on YouTube. The Spanish-language ads, titled “Para Nosotros” and “Ninguno,” specifically target Latino voter-heavy zip codes across the state, with an additional version playing in the 25th Senate district in support of State Senator Karina Villa.
With this key initiative, the Democratic Party of Illinois is working to reach and mobilize traditionally underrepresented voters. DPI will continue to invest in ads in a variety of languages — focusing next on Asian American communities — to connect with diverse groups of voters in the home stretch leading up to the November election.
* A September 4 letter to US Rep. Sean Casten from Awake IL…
Re: Cease and Desist - Defamation
Dear Sir:
This is written on behalf of Awake IL, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Illinois. Awake IL engages in social welfare advocacy on behalf of communities across the state.
It has come to our attention that you, Sean Casten, are unlawfully exploiting the mission of Awake Illinois with defamatory claims per the common law elements of “defamation” (see attachments).
Accordingly, Awake IL demands that you immediately cease and desist from further acts of defamation to any third party and remove committed acts of defamation from any third-party sites to which defamatory statements have been posted (e.g. https://castenforcongress.com, Daily Herald, etc).
Please contact us upon your receipt of this letter to confirm that you will comply with these demands and to discuss an appropriate resolution. In the event we do not receive the foregoing from you within ten (10) days from the date hereof, Awake IL will take additional steps necessary to protect its rights and/or seek all remedies available under applicable laws as a result of your unlawful acts of defamation.
Awake IL may file a civil action in local state court requesting damages and attorney’s fees wherever applicable.
The foregoing is not intended to be a complete recitation of the facts pertaining to your infringement. Nothing herein shall be deemed an admission or waiver of any of Awake IL’s rights or remedies, all of which are expressly reserved.
Sincerely,
Shannon Adcock
President, Awake IL
Josh McBroom
Vice President, Awake IL
Steve Lucie
Director, Awake IL
CC:
Attorney Thomas DeVore
Silverlake Law Group
* The Casten campaign issued a press release on today’s “deadline”…
Last week, after U.S. Congressman Sean Casten called on Keith Pekau to disavow Awake Illinois and the award Pekau received from them, Casten received a cease and desist from Pekau’s allies at Awake Illinois.
Rep. Casten has released the following statement:
“I will not cease nor desist in supporting the interests of everybody in the community I represent and making sure that there’s space for decency and kindness and love,” said Rep. Casten. “Keith Pekau and Awake Illinois should be ashamed of themselves for the unsafe environment they have created in our community. They have used their platform to promote hatred, homophobia, and bigotry.”
Tom Devore, the Republican nominee for Attorney General in Illinois, was CC’d on the cease and desist.
This week, the Downers Grove Public Library announced it was canceling an upcoming Drag Queen Bingo program after it received severe threats regarding the event, including calls to bring weapons to the event. These threats occurred after Keith Pekau and Awake Illinois issued a call-to-action to their supporters.
In July, Uprising Bakery in Lake in the Hills was attacked after it announced it was hosting a kid-friendly drag show. This occurred after Awake Illinois and Members of the Proud Boys’ Northern Illinois chapter promoted a protest of the event.
In January, the St. Charles Public Library was forced to temporarily close due to threats after Awake Illinois publicly criticized the library’s COVID-19 safety measures.
Geoffrey Stone, a First Amendment scholar at the University of Chicago Law School, said the statements included with Awake Illinois’ letter provide no legal backing for a claim of defamation.
“They are just ordinary political statements that are fully protected by the First Amendment,” Stone wrote in an email. “Only factually false statements made can constitute defamation, and even then they have to be either negligently or recklessly made.”
* Darren Bailey held up a copy of the Sun-Times front page today during his daily Facebook live video and said…
Last night at Washington Park, nine were shot on a drive-by shooting. Two were killed. The victims range from 19 to 46. Why isn’t that the headline? Why aren’t the press reporting on the failures of JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot and Kim Foxx? I think that it’s appalling that, uh, they’re not, you know, last night, just within minutes after one of these massive shootings, Lori Lightfoot tweeted that, Hey, Darren Bailey, welcome to Chicago, leave your woke ideas and, and thank you for your, your tax money. Why isn’t that the headline? I think we should demand more out of our press. I think we should demand more out of the people that are reporting this. And if they won’t do it, then boycott ‘em. Push ‘em to the side. Get away from the TV, get away from these news sources that won’t report the truth because these need to be the headlines.
This may be a nitpick, but any time someone uses the word “truth,” I cringe. Truth is from a deity. Facts are from humans.
2 killed, 7 others wounded by gunfire in Washington Park: ‘It’s another tragic incident’
At least nine people were shot, two of them fatally, when gunfire erupted Tuesday night during a pickup softball game at Washington Park on the South Side.
An argument broke out between two groups and escalated into an exchange of gunfire around 7:45 p.m. at 5531 S. King Drive, Deputy Chief Fred Melean said during a news conference at the nearby University of Chicago Medical Center.
Curious whether he’ll still attend the debates, since they’ll be hosted by a TV news outlet.
…Adding… This is what Lightfoot actually tweeted…
Hi Darren. Welcome to Chicago. If you need help finding a clue, here’s a map. In the meantime, we welcome your tourism dollars. Check out the architectural boat tour. But do the other passengers a favor—leave your right wing nonsense at the dock. https://t.co/UivKhoJ6Ndpic.twitter.com/b0Xwaq0kRD
Lori, this may be a joke to you but there are people dying everyday on your streets because of your dangerous policies and failed leadership. You’re laughing, but there are at least 13 families crying tonight because of a shooting in Washington Park. Shame on you. https://t.co/vdNGHnWlqQ
This morning our office was attacked. Security footage shows a brick was thrown through one of our windows around 5 am by an individual who then fled northbound towards Bryn Mawr. Police are investigating. Board up is on the way and we will still be here to help our constituents. pic.twitter.com/T8GvnSFcSX
— Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy (@ILRepCassidy) September 14, 2022
…Adding… The tweet was deleted and replaced by this one because the footage suggests the brick-thrower was a woman.
CLAIM: Anyone charged with a “non-detainable offense” will be released immediately after arrest. See graphic below, which is making the rounds on social media.
FACT: The SAFE-T Act does not create any “non-detainable offenses.” Illinois law has no such thing.
Certain crimes, including forcible felonies, stalking, and domestic abuse, guarantee the revocation of pretrial release; meaning, they will not be released after arrest. This is outlined in the act’s section 110-6.1.a.
Some of the crimes listed in the graphic will lead to revocation pretrial release, such as arson and kidnapping. These are defined as forcible felonies by Illinois law.
However, that does not mean perpetrators of other crimes are guaranteed to be let out of jail free. A judge may revoke pretrial release from ANY perpetrator who “poses a specific, real and present threat to any person or the community.” That can include perpetrators of any of the crimes listed in the image above.
Keep in mind: pretrial release is just that–release before a person’s trial. An alleged criminal is not free forever. Once they are tried, they are either found guilty and sentenced or found innocent and released.
[Story has been updated with a small change in the fourth graf.]
As I told you yesterday, there’s lots of Democratic talk behind the scenes about changing the law because there are some significant problems with it. But none of the proponents have wanted to admit this in public. That’s a huge mistake, IMHO.
First, let's check out this "news story." Notice how it is a "staff report," and doesn't include a reporter's name. Only in very rare instances will a reputable publication do this, and that's often to protect sources who have risked their own safety. Not the case here. Red flag. pic.twitter.com/o45onTUYyh
The Purge is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films … The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near-future. However, the country is a dystopia which celebrates an annual national holiday known as “the Purge,” a day in which all crime, including murder, becomes decriminalized for a 12-hour period.
* Sen. Darren Bailey today, with a bit of italicized commentary by me and some links for you…
We’re standing here today near the spot where two tourists were mugged at gunpoint just outside of their hotel last night.
This is not a test, this is a wake up call. Chicago is living The Purge. When criminals ravage at will and the cops are told to stand down.
JB Pritzker and his cohorts in mayhem are directing the film. With his SAFE-T Act, JB is set to unleash The Purge in neighborhoods all over Illinois as of January 1.
For those who will not see, many in the media, those who deny the hellhole Chicago has become. More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York City and Los Angeles combined [Close, but not accurate]. Let that sink in. More than 500 deaths so far.
JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot and Kim Foxx are personally responsible for this.
For those who will not see, lift the veils from your eyes before they’re ripped away by one of the gangs or criminals that our leaders have set free.
Watch the video of a gang of armed robbers terrorizing Wicker Park residents Monday. The cops spotted them getting away, but they were told to stand down. Don’t try to catch them. Don’t pursue, was the words. That’s the rule in Chicago. Those Wicker Park robbers are serial criminals. They went off scot free and they will return.
Alderman George Cardenas, a Democrat, tweeted in a response, ‘Public Safety in Chicago is a joke. Why bother calling the police?’ Except it’s not a joke. It’s a nightmare.
Chicago has strict vehicle pursuit guidelines that make it impossible for police to do their jobs and let criminals go free. [If the city is going to have these pursuit guidelines to protect innocent bystanders, then it really needs alternatives, like drones and helicopters, and it needs them soon.]
And it gets worse. JB is so enamored of these horrific rules that he passed legislation that imposes them on the entire state of Illinois.
Soon, all of Illinois will look like Chicago, like a scene from a horror film come to life. We can and we must stop this.
He then went on to outline his anti-crime program, which he’s done before. Also, as always, please pardon any transcription errors.
* Bailey seems to be riding a wave of recent TikTok videos claiming Illinois is about to enter The Purge on January 1. Most of the videos are based on false or woefully incomplete information, including a meme produced by a far-right southern Illinois website using call letters that make it look like a licensed broadcast station.
…Adding… It’s spreading like wildfire on these sites…
I see the Safe-T Act being referred to as the "Purge Law" on hip-hop and entertainment news and blogs.
We really have to address how misinformation is spreading because bloggers are searching for content. They're not fact-checking.
There are no “non-detainable offenses” coming on January 1. Those judged a flight risk can be held, as one example. But, there’s been a lot of behind the scenes talk about changing the SAFE-T Act during the post-election veto session, particularly to tighten up some language on who gets released and when, and clarifying some things in the anti-trespassing law. So, this Fox 32 take is mostly correct…
Even some top Democrats concede privately they’d like to amend ambiguous language dealing with exactly when judges will be able to detain violent offenders.
* Last word…
I am trying to imagine someone standing on Restaurant Row in the West Loop, surrounded by gleaming new high rises and some of the best food in the country, and declaring that this place is the purge.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, the most prominent effort by Republicans to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say, after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a news conference. “And that should be where America is at.”
Graham’s measure, which stands almost no chance of advancing while Democrats hold the majority in Congress, comes just weeks after he and most Republicans had defended the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe by arguing that allowing states to decide on abortion rights would be the most “constitutionally sound” way of handling the issue.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) suggested Graham had gone a bit rogue with his latest legislation: “That wasn’t a conference decision. It was an individual senator’s decision.”
“There’s obviously a split of opinion in terms of whether abortion law should be decided by the states, which is my preference … and those who want to set some sort of minimum standard,” Cornyn said of the 50-member Senate GOP conference. “I would keep an open mind on this but my preference would be for those decisions to be made on a state-by-state basis.”
* More…
McConnell on Graham’s bill: “you’ll have to ask him about it.” Says most Republicans want to leave it to the states
* I asked Gov. Pritzker’s office for react. Here’s the governor’s response…
Illinois is and always will be a state where we respect women’s rights to make their own decisions about their bodies and their healthcare. The extremists in the GOP told us it should be up to the states to decide and we knew they couldn’t be trusted. A nationwide ban on abortion is not only an egregious attempt to strip away long held rights, but it puts the lives of women at risk. The GOP’s blatant lies are disappointing, but no longer surprising. As Governor, I will never stop fighting to protect every Illinoisans’ right to choose, and I call on all of our representatives to put people over party and vote against a nationwide ban on abortion.
* Sen. Bailey was asked today whether he would support a national abortion ban after 15 weeks…
I’ll have to look at that. I haven’t looked at that. I want to remind people here in Illinois that women are well protected and cared for and nothing is going to change here in Illinois regarding abortions as Gov. Pritzker tries to throw me in that category.
…Adding… DPI…
Today, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez issued the following statement on Republicans’ national abortion ban:
“The Republican party has made clear that it will stop at nothing to strip women of their reproductive rights. Far-right extremist Republicans in Illinois have threatened to do the same here at home — but we will not let them.”
“The stakes of this election could not be more clear. Now more than ever, we must unite to support Democrat pro-choice champions up and down the ballot who will fight to protect abortion access in Washington and here in Illinois. Together, we will ensure that our state remains a safe haven for those who call Illinois home and a beacon of hope for reproductive rights across the country.”
State Senator Darren Bailey (R-Il55), the Republican candidate for Illinois governor, made a campaign stop Saturday at the Palestinian American Club of Bridgeview, Illinois where he spoke in front of a map that erased the state of Israel, depicting the entire region as “Palestine.” The map labeled Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, included Yafo but not Tel Aviv, and restored the Golan Heights to Syria.
* Meanwhile, this relatively new Pritzker campaign video already has 670,001 views as of last check, which is in the top five of all his online videos…
*** UPDATE *** Bailey walked it back today, but considering his past behavior, one wonders how long it’ll be before he doubles down or claims he was taken out of context…
I strongly support Israel I always have and I always will. But I will listen to every one who wants to come to the table and talk.
That was a conversation that I had had with them earlier and I told them, they they told me it was unconstitutional. I said if it is we’ll take a look at that.
In an interview with Palestine TV at the event, Bailey also questioned the constitutionality of legislative measures backed by his opponent Governor JB Pritzker to counter the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
“I’ll always stand on the constitution and it sounds like some of those values are being stepped on right now,” Bailey said in his interview with Palestine TV. “And that makes sense, that’s what’s taking place in every aspect of government with this governor of ours. He doesn’t follow the law, he doesn’t follow the constitution. So the constitution will always be front and center. The Muslim community, the Arab community will always have a seat with me as we learn together, work together, and live together.”
