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No reporter questions for fourth straight day

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Illinois

* Tribune this morning…

For the third day in a row, Gov. Bruce Rauner doesn’t have any public events scheduled, so reporters won’t get a chance to ask him about a lawsuit that says he had a 2015 meeting about an investment on the back porch of the governor’s mansion.

That gathering on taxpayer property came to light Tuesday after a lawsuit filed by former investment partner Harreld N. “Kip” Kirkpatrick III was unsealed. It says Rauner and Kirkpatrick disagree on how a $67.5 million settlement from other court proceedings was divvied up.

On Wednesday, Rauner’s attorneys fired back in a court filing accusing Kirkpatrick of “a continuing pattern of self-dealing,” according to the Sun-Times. And The Associated Press reported that the governor’s official calendar shows a scheduled meeting with Kirkpatrick at the mansion on the date in question.

Rauner stayed out of the public eye Wednesday, and the last public appearance listed on his schedule was Monday, the day before the lawsuit details went public.

* Make that four days in a row…

Daily Public Schedule: Friday, Jan. 26, 2018

What: Gov. Rauner launches Bicentennial K-12 education resource: ‘Illinois Chronicles’
Where: Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago

Date: Friday, January 26, 2018
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Note: No additional media availability

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:17 pm

Comments

Pants on fire.

Comment by Red Rider Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:22 pm
Rauner will try wait this out as long as he can.

There aren’t any good responses to…

“Why did you say… “

… because a misleading answer to a Press question hid an ethical “lapse”.

This is what Rauner can do, since the last three years has shown he can.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:25 pm
“No additional media availability.”

No matter how much 1.4% runs and hides, the media will catch up and questions will be asked. So run and hide. Run and hide.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:27 pm
Further…

I’ve yet to hear from current office holders.

I’ve heard from gubernatorial candidates, but nothing from Dem leadership?

Nothing from GOP leadership?

Did I miss their denounciations?

Rauner knows, he’ll face a commercial or 5 in August thru November about this… but… wait it out… it’s gets old… Rauner will say he’s moved on from it and won’t respond, and it will drift away… or that’s what Rauner hopes…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:30 pm
He knew last week this was going to be unsealed. And the BTIA still doesn’t have a response?

All I heard was them trying to claim that this was a “contract” dispute (so not “investments”). Or maybe they were just being colloquial.

Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:39 pm
Add “coward” to the list of personality traits for the Governor.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:40 pm
Rauner had so much to say about Jb and Blago yet he runs when it’s time for him to answer questions. I’m sure Lucky Pierre is proud of Rauner.

Comment by Real Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:41 pm
All it means is that Monday’s with Ives is going to be super duper sweet.

Comment by Bobby T Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:43 pm
Monday’s meeting with Ives is going to be awesome.

Comment by Bobby T Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:44 pm
I’m surprised there has been no response from Dem or GOP leadership.. Maybe they are in talks on how to proceed on this?

Comment by Real Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:48 pm
Rauner loves to talk mess about Jb and Blago yet when it’s his turn to answer questions he is nowhere to be found.

Comment by Real Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:50 pm
It’s no wonder, he’s probably getting tired of being hassled by people wanting to know where to invest their money every time he goes out.

Comment by AC Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:51 pm
The Dem leadership hasn’t stopped laughing long enough to issue a response.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:53 pm
===The Dem leadership hasn’t stopped laughing long enough to issue a response.===

Yeah, let Rauner of the hook while the issue is hot, you know, to laugh…

Ugh.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 5:55 pm
A dollar says that when he eventually does take questions, he’ll refuse to answer this one and blame his lawyers. “I’d sure love to answer that question, but gosh, I just can’t because it’s a legal matter.”

The Lucky-bot 6000 will then come to Capfax to defend this move as wise and just.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:06 pm
That was tongue-in-cheek OW. Seriously though, why do Dems need to say anything at this time? The issue speaks for itself and there’s been plenty of coverage from gov. candidates and news outlets to date. I’d hold my fire until (if) interest dies down and then let loose.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:06 pm
What’s weird about this is the lack of response by most of the legislature.

Comment by Real Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:11 pm
Who’s got the ol’ chicken costume?

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:13 pm
Semi-serious question: what’s he been doing with the hundreds of millions he has made while in office? Does that income remain in the “blind trust” along with the investments that generated it?

Comment by Cash Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:15 pm
Given his weak attempts at dissembling so far, I can’t wait for Bruce’s next series of whoppers.

Comment by Jocko Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:17 pm
I’m so glad he is finally being called out.

He made like 50 million before governor a year and now it’s something like 180 million a year.

Clearly he has profited while IL has suffered. I’m sure his friends have had record profits too.

Seems pretty clear that he has banked off IL debt.

Comment by A non Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 6:42 pm
I don’t care that his personal assets grew. Good for the Rauner family. Whatever.

The point is. HE LIED.

HE LIED to the media and to the public.

About his plan to put his money in a “blind trust.”

Doesn’t matter if this was “legal”

HE LIED TO US.

Now the media has to ask him to account for the lies.

All the edit boards that endorsed him - is this enough? Is it time yet to admit as CRAIN’s basically did - that you made a mistake in endorsing a deeply dishonest, destructive, self-serving man to be GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS?

Comment by Sugar Corn Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:03 pm
“Madigan is not the governor. Rauner is. And there’s no way to deny it: By nearly every measure, the state is worse off since Rauner took office.”

By Crain’s Editorial Board
*Governor Rauner, You’ve Proved Us Wrong*

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160625/ISSUE07/306259997/gov-rauner-youve-proved-us-wrong

Comment by Sugar Corn Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:06 pm
“Earned media” comes at a cost; it isn’t free advertising. If Rauner wants coverage at public events, he has to expect and allow reporters to ask questions. Or there’s no point to covering the events.

In the wake of this scandal, I’d expect him to suddenly find reasons to tour places in the hinterlands, away from Chicago and other major cities, and try to do press pops in more rural areas where he can get a county chairman to scare up a crowd of agreeable “fans” as a backdrop to the festivities, some place where the reporters are inexperienced, under-paid, and too intimidated by a fancy-pants Governor to dare ask anything but softball questions, and just write down the supplied talking points. Which will all be full of deflections and “what about”-isms.

Rauner will warm up with a bunch of these Potemkin Village press pops until he wears down the reporters and they move to something else.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:14 pm
I’m sure we’ll be hearing that this isn’t what it appears to be. That the “truth” will come out and that he can’t say anymore because well it’s a legal matter. But he’d sure like to tell us.

Comment by Pundent Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:17 pm
Rauner remains a complete and utter disappointment. At least he knows that nothing he says will help the current situation and he’s probably right that people will forget and move on.

He seems to be on some kind of slow-moving vacation. Spending a week in Quincy? Who does that? No media availability for days at a time? It’s almost as if he’s not really in charge…

Comment by DuPage Dave Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 7:22 pm
The man needs to go to a world economic summit …Oh wait wrong guy he is already there.

Comment by theCardinal Thursday, Jan 25, 18 @ 8:26 pm
Chillin’ in a track suit, watching cartoons, surfing the web for cool ambassador gigs in the Blago Bunker.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 26, 18 @ 8:20 am
Just bec additional meetings have not been proven (yet), does not mean they didnt occur.

R: thats part of a lawsuit, lawyers are involved, its before the court, i cant talk about it. Different people can spin whatever they want, but i just cant address that…..blah, blah

R deserves to be excoriated over his lies. –additional meetings? –profits from state contracts go to charity? Prove it. Could be a rich vein.

While that runs its course, we need to pay attention to the medicaid audit. Billions. Total fail from the gitgo.

Comment by Langhorne Friday, Jan 26, 18 @ 11:09 am
===That was tongue-in-cheek OW===

You know what hasn’t been tongue and cheek?

Rauner owning the narrative for three straight years.

The days of sitting back and laughing led to Rauner.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 26, 18 @ 12:43 pm