Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Chicago man arrested by feds in January 6 probe had apparent ties to Bailey campaign

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Block Club Chicago…

A Logan Square community activist has been arrested for allegedly storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Lawrence Ligas, 62, was charged with four counts in a criminal complaint released by federal authorities Wednesday. Charges include entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building and parading in a capitol building.

According to an FBI affidavit, someone who used to know Ligas saw him quoted in an NPR article titled “Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Clash with Police.” In the article, Ligas says, “We’re not moving on … We are not Republicans. We are the MAGA party. We are patriots.”

Authorities were later able to identify Ligas based on YouTube videos and surveillance footage of him inside the capitol. The FBI also interviewed Ligas in 2017 about a separate matter, and the special agent who conducted the interview confirmed his identity, as well, the affidavit states.

Accompanying pic…

* Now, this was posted to Darren Bailey’s Facebook page on October 31…

Click the link and you’ll see it’s tagged as being in Chicago. There are other photos, too.

* Bailey’s campaign website advertised a fundraiser on October 31 and the contact person is Lawrence Ligas…

* Bailey’s own Facebook page had a reference to the October 31 fundraiser, but it was deleted. However, it does show up in a Google search…

* On Target Radio’s Facebook page…

Ligas was also spotted by a couple of people I know at the Illinois State Fair this past summer as a Bailey supporter.

I’ve reached out to Bailey’s campaign and Ligas for comment. I’ll post whatever I get as soon as I hear back.

…Adding… Hmm…

This guy was aggressively stalking me at the Illinois State Fair’s Republican Day event while I was working. He kept interrupting interviews & conversations to make menacing threats about what he perceived as biased media and “dirty tricks.” He was with Darren Bailey’s campaign. https://t.co/vc450UqEsa

— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) December 1, 2021

…Adding… OK, I remember him now. Very weird dude…

Ligas yelled at @ILGOP Chair Don Tracy during a reporters' scrum at @ILStateFair in Aug.
You can hear him advocating for @DarrenBaileyIL after @AmandaVinicky asked why Gov candidates didn't get time to speak
Can also hear someone else ask Ligas if he's a reporter as he crowded us https://t.co/voOmLEaU1C pic.twitter.com/LDv6Fe1LyJ

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) December 1, 2021

* Pic on the bottom right…

Oh look, there he is again https://t.co/0RknnT5BZd

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) December 1, 2021

…Adding… DPI…

Today, Lawrence Ligas of Chicago was arrested and charged in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. As reported on CapitolFax.com, Ligas has been working with and representing the campaign of Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for governor. Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt released the following statement:

“The January 6 attack on our democracy was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. Now, we find out that one of the attackers has since been working with and representing the campaign of Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for governor. When it comes to the traitors of January 6, there must be no equivocation: Darren Bailey must immediately denounce Mr. Ligas and revoke any and all association with him at once. The governor’s office is no place for associates of traitors to this great nation.”

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Flash Index rises slightly

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Institute of Government and Public Affairs…

The University of Illinois Flash Index in November rose slightly to 105.5 from its 105.4 level last month. However, the reading from November does not reflect the economic impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

“This suggests the economy may remain in a twilight world for some time in which concerns about the virus remain unresolved,” said University of Illinois economist J. Fred Giertz, who compiles the monthly index for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

But, Giertz said that longer-term prospects for the economy remain positive. “There is strong pent-up consumer demand, although the picture is clouded by supply chain problems, the threat of inflation and, now, the new virus concern,” he said.

All the components of the Flash Index (individual income tax, sales tax, and corporate tax receipts) were up slightly compared to the same month last year after adjusting for inflation. The Illinois unemployment rate fell to a post-recession low of 6.0% compared to the 8.1% rate a year ago. The Illinois rate is still well above the national level of 4.6%.

The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail sales taxes. These are adjusted for inflation before growth rates are calculated. The growth rate for each component is then calculated for the 12-month period using data through November 30, 2021.

Even though more than a year has passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, ad hoc adjustments will still be needed for some time because of the timing of the tax receipts resulting from state and Federal changes in payment dates both this and last year.

More here.

* Meanwhile, I found this piece interesting because it upends so much conventional “wisdom.” From Matthew Boesler, Joe Deaux and Katia Dmitrieva…

Fattest Profits Since 1950 Debunk Wage-Inflation Story of CEOs

In the past two quarters, U.S. corporations outside of the finance industry posted their fattest margins since 1950 — one reason why stock markets keep hitting all-time highs.

On earnings calls, plenty of executives complained about the squeeze from rising costs of labor as well as materials. But overall, profits were up 37% from a year earlier, according to data out last week from the Commerce Department.

Businesses have been paying out more cash to their employees too, with total compensation up 12% in the last quarter from a year earlier. That’s partly because millions of Americans went back to work — but also because many got a raise when they did so. Hourly earnings broadly kept up with the fast-rising cost of living, and in some low-pay industries like leisure and hospitality they comfortably outpaced it. […]

U.S. consumer prices rose 6.2% in the 12 months through October, the most since 1990. The new data on corporate earnings suggest business can comfortably pass on all its higher costs, which means there may be more inflationary pressure to come.

That seeming willingness by businesses to pass along higher costs rather than try to keep prices low and, therefore, eat into their record profits is likely gonna trigger action by the Federal Reserve.

…Adding… I meant to add these stories and forgot…

* EV versions of Dodge muscle cars may be on track for Belvidere factory. The expected move to build the Charger and Challenger where Stellantis now manufactures Jeep Cherokees is part of a reshuffling of plants as the automaker develops a new platform for its electric vehicles.

* Finally, a tech sector Chicago can call its own. Why the city appeals to startups and giants in the growing agriculture technology sector.

* Natural gas plunges on demand-killing weather outlook. Forecasts shifted warmer through the middle of next month, allaying concern about tight domestic natural gas supplies.

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The numbers are pretty clear, so don’t believe 14-3 is a safe bet

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is in DC through Friday, kicking off her visit on Tuesday night with a dinner Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., hosted for the delegation in his Capitol office, and – to my surprise – since usually only Democrats show up at this sort of thing – in walked GOP Rep. Rodney Davis. […]

Before he left, Davis made a bold political prediction […]

Not so fast on that 14-3 outcome Democrats are claiming they will have [with the new congressional district map], Davis told me. […]

Some of those 14 districts have Democratic supermajorities; the Democratic edge in two or three other districts outside of Chicago is much thinner, and I asked Davis – we were out of earshot from the others - about their potential as swing districts.

“I’ll be happy to say very loudly here, we are going to compete in a lot more districts then what the Democrats in Springfield who drew this map thought we would,” he said.

The only people who are publicly saying this is a 14-3 map are some discredited DC “experts” who have said all sorts of weird and flat-out false things since the remap process began.

It’s probably 14-3 in an optimal Democratic cycle, but I don’t know anyone who believes that the Democrats will reverse the overwhelming historical trend and actually gain seats nationally next year.

* Look at the off-year numbers on this chart…

Here is the past electoral performance for the 4th newly proposed congressional district map released by the ILGA. If you'd like to compare them to the current map you can find that here:https://t.co/D8IGJjgQIh pic.twitter.com/GhVjFoRkS4

— IL Election Data (@ILElectionData) October 29, 2021

Remember, 2018 was a great year for Democrats in Illinois because it was an off-year for an unpopular Republican president and the Republican governor up for reelection here was a walking dumpster fire.

I tend to look at the AG results, the closest of the bunch. There are three “Democratic” congressional districts on this chart where Kwame Raoul won by about 3 points. That’s the best place to start: Casten/Newman, Foster and the new 17th (formerly Bustos). And then go from there, perhaps even to the 2016 comptroller’s special election. Factor in a likely Democratic slump, and you can see that anyone who claims this is definitely a 14-3 map might wanna lay off the weed.

* Here’s what Rodney Davis told Dave Dahl when asked about that purported 14-3 split…

I certainly hope the Democrats thinks that. I certainly hope that the Illinois Democrats believe that that Republicans are only going to have three members of Congress after this next election. Because I think they’re going to be shocked, just like many in the media might be shocked.

We’re going to win. We’re gonna win more seats than the three that they’ve planned. Esther Joy King will be a member of Congress in the 17th district. We will have candidates in all of the districts that we see that are competitive, be it the new 13th district, we will have Republican candidates there that will be able to compete and win that district. And then the suburban districts. We saw in Virginia, we saw in New Jersey that even safe Democratic districts are no longer safe in a year where the American people are very frustrated with the Democrats lack of willingness to address the violent crime that’s plaguing our major cities in our country right now.

…Adding… McHenry County Blog…

On Monday, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter issued its initial ratings for the 2022 congressional elections for Illinois’ 17 congressional districts.

Based on Cook‘s estimated partisan voting index (PVI) of the new districts, the following ratings were assigned:

IL-17 (open): Tossup, estimated PVI of Democrat +3
IL-13 (open): Leans Democrat, estimated PVI of Democrat +4
IL-14 (Underwood): Leans Democrat, estimated PVI of Democrat +4
IL-06 (Casten & Newman): Leans Democrat, estimated PVI of Democrat +5
IL-11 (Foster): Likely Democrat, estimated PVI of Democrat +5

All 12 other districts are rated “safe” district, based on the Democrat or Republican incumbent representing them currently or who’ve declared their reelection.