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Pritzker asked if he still thinks of Madigan as a “political ally”

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Illinois

* From Gov. Pritzker’s Q&A in Peoria today…

Have you had more time to look at Speaker Madigan’s ties to the ComEd charges and do you still think of him as a political ally?

Zing.

* The governor’s response…

Only… Well, you know, let’s set apart the last point that you’re making.

I, you know, let’s just say it’s been very important to me that Speaker Madigan step forward to answer the questions that are raised in that ComEd - I don’t what it’s referred to, information, indictment, I’m not sure. Um, I, so, you know, that’s something that, that has got to get done. I, look, people who serve in public office owe a duty of integrity to the people that they serve. Um, and, and there are allegations that are, some made and some just implied in that document. It raises a lot of questions and I think the speaker is going to have to answer those questions.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:02 pm

Comments

Oof. That’s a perfectly framed question to throw someone off their talking points.

Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:06 pm
He didn’t say no.

Comment by JB13 Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:06 pm
A: Yes and no.

Comment by John Lee Pettimore, III Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:08 pm
Boy JB would be a natural working as a driver for CTA

Comment by Hard D Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:10 pm
I’d take that as a “no.”

Comment by Southern Skeptic Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:12 pm
Total amateur move. This is not great at all.

The response is *exactly*… 100% why… you never go “if these allegations are true”

What? Until then, it’s all good?

The correct answer(s) are these.

If you called for immediate resignation;

“I dunno any ally you could have that you tell to immediately resign”

To the thoughtful “Arroyo Rule” folks;

“The House has a mechanism to remove, I dunno any ally you’d have that’s in limbo of being ‘Arroyoed’… “

And to the “hedgers”… (sigh)

“Calling a working relationship, as described by the state constitution, as one with an ally… seems silly. The Illinois House *still* has him as Speaker, and my relationship is that of Governor and Speaker, as its been for two legislative sessions”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:15 pm
via Imgflip

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:17 pm
Unless there’s an indictment, why not have a powerful ally? The opposition is silent or openly supports someone who’s impeached and continuously screams hoax and witch hunt. Democrats should be as slow as possible to fall on their own swords.

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:17 pm
Rich wins… even in gif form too, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:19 pm
Too hard to just say “No. I do not think of Speaker Madigan as an ally.” JB? If you are not denouncing the Speaker you are part of the problem. If you are defending the Speaker you are the problem.

Comment by Flat Bed Ford Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:22 pm
The response was a good as it could be in this type of catch 22 situation. For now, he has to work with Madigan. Going crazy on Madigan wouldn’t help him achieve results he needs at this point in the game.

As far as political allies, JB’s money does a lot for getting him allies when he needs it. Madigan and pretty much everyone else except JB’s wife wouldn’t have given him a second thought without it.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:22 pm
What was asked before the question. He said, “let’s set apart the last point that you’re making.” What point was he talking about?

Comment by Southern Skeptic Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:23 pm
Agree with OW and Rich. Madigan has been the speaker since the 80s I have been in state office for less than two years. The house decides who the speaker is and as Governor I will work with the majority and minority house leaders to work for all Illinoians.

Dodge and distance.

Comment by 1st Ward Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:24 pm
You would think someone on his staff would have foreseen that question and had him prepared to answer it easily. That just looks like a Bruce Rauner response except Rauner would bring up Madigan out of left field rather than answer a question about him.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:26 pm
Weeks and months of mostly COVID only questions and answers might have JB soft on his feet for this.

Time to get back in the PR gym and have your folks spar with you a little on the questions that will come every time you hold a press event for the foreseeable future.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:28 pm
===You would think someone on his staff===

This is not a staff issue.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:39 pm
=== This is not a staff issue.===

Nope. It’s on the Governor only.

It’s an amateur move, he *needs* to have his own stance ready and be ready to defend it.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:43 pm
You would think a prepared response to any Madigan question would have been practiced.

Comment by Just Me 2 Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:48 pm
Maybe that was the response he practiced. Scary isn’t it?

Comment by SSL Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:51 pm
Next time he should try “these are not the droids you are looking for”

Comment by pool boy Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:54 pm
Should have said yes, his support was and is critical for the important tax referendum which is needed to pay for his wrecking Illinois finances

Comment by Curious George Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 2:55 pm
Not good, JB. That “answer” actually made me laugh out loud. Kudos to the person who asked the question.

Comment by Responsa Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:05 pm
==It’s an amateur move, he *needs* to have his own stance ready and be ready to defend it.==

Agree on the amateur response, and how is this considered a tough question for JB in the first place? “No, and I’ve never considered him a political ally. I’ve never taken monetary or in-kind donations from him or the state party organization that he runs.” If pressed, offer some mumbo jumbo response about MJM being an ally on passing certain pieces of legislation, but that’s the extent of any quote-unquote alliance. It’s not that hard, JB

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:27 pm
Pritzker should get ahead of this and say at the very minimum that Madigan should step down from his position as chair of the party.

Comment by Chicagonk Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:32 pm
Pretty nimble wordsmithing there for a man of such girth. Ho Ho Ho

Comment by Santa Claus Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:38 pm
Bloviators went off and used the Speaker’s name to enrich themselves. There is not, nor will there be uncovered, any proof that the Speaker personally benefited during the scope of this investigation. Comed was had. Lausch got ahead of himself. Maybe the Speaker enriched himself 30 decades ago. Maybe. But those days are long gone. This is a political witch hunt by a Trump appointee and some lakefront liberal goo goos are falling for it.

Comment by Lake Effect Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:39 pm
== Bloviators went off and used the Speaker’s name to enrich themselves. ==

I can’t wait to see the responses to this one. Am I the only one who is now thinking about changing their handle to Lakefront Liberal Goo Goo?

Comment by SouthSide Markie Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:52 pm
That kind of response suggests the question whether or not Governor Pritzker ever considered the man ally, or if Speaker Madigan is a condition of the field.

But lordy, he could have at the very least pivoted to something that portrays him in a positive light.

Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:55 pm
=== This is not a staff issue.===

True. I’m just surprised that the governor had no legit response. I’m aghast that there was no coordinated response when a prominent figure like Madigan is being investigated by the feds. It seems like this is something that would have been long thought out based on Madigan’s own reputation.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 3:56 pm
You have to skate the issue or your political money disappears. Madigan is a slowly sinking ship. Anyone within range is going to get drug in the mud at some point.

Look at all those shell PACs that have given money to Democrats and Republicans. The reform has to come from outside the state.

Comment by bluesman2383 Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 4:06 pm
===Bloviators went off and used the Speaker’s name to enrich themselves.===

I am in my youth and as such I am limited in my experience with the state, but I really get the sense that there is a bit of column A and a bit of column B. Madigan is well insulated in the same fashion that kept Jim Edgar conviction free from the whole Management Systems of Illinois campaign contribution scandal that we barely ever take the time or effort to recall more than two decades after the fact.

A case against Madigan may depend on nothing but circumstantial evidence, or it may depend on one of his life long retinue deciding that they’d rather not die in prison.

Because of who is operating the Justice Department the plan could be to let the drip, drip drip of this investigate continue over the next three months to make for as much impact in our elections as possible regardless of the merits.

Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 4:06 pm
The Governor should call on the Speaker to resign as Chair of the State Party so he can then get his own person in place.

He can then punt on the Speakership noting that there is a separation of powers and that decision is up to members of the Democrat Caucus (throwing them under the bus).

Comment by 4 percent Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 5:14 pm
So, let’s put ComEd’s total in kind contributions to the Speaker’s political organization at say $10m Somebody explain to me the difference between payments for that access compared with the tens of millions the trial lawyers and labor have provided to the speaker over many years for the same access. The money is buying the same thing so why ComEd and not the Afl-cio? Isn’t really about the excessive amounts of money and not how the money is being transmitted? Are we saying if ComEd would have written campaign checks for the same amount of money they provided to the Speakers operation thru service contracts that they wouldn’t have been indicted? Labor can collect all this money and provide it as cash payments in the form of campaign contributions but it is no less corruptive then ComEds. Let’s see the Democrats address the root cause of corruption in Spfld, don’t hold your breadth.

Comment by Anon Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 5:32 pm
*deer in the headlights*

Comment by Token Conservative Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 6:26 pm
== Too hard to just say “No. I do not think of Speaker Madigan as an ally.”==
They are allies. Why lie? They have to work together whether they like it or not.

Comment by All this Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 6:29 pm
Nice to see a journalist doing their job for a change. Well done. Bet they don’t get called on for a while now. Not surprising the question went unanswered. All these weeks of reading his word salad non answers at briefings have left me a bit numb.

Comment by Captain Obvious Monday, Jul 20, 20 @ 6:50 pm
Zero chance a session is called now. Gov needs to be vocal in support of resignation. JB has thrown many good people under the bus in his pursuits for further political ambitions … Madigan will be next.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 21, 20 @ 2:29 am
The Speaker has clearly become a political liability for the Governor and this investigation by the Feds is pretty darn serious. I’m not sure why the Governor hasn’t been more definitive on this one yet; it’s not like he can’t make up for the campaign funds the Speaker controls. I said it before, but the Speaker should have ridden off into the sunset once Rauner was defeated or post-2019 spring session at the latest. It’s possible that might’ve saved him the extra heat from the Feds as it’s just not as big a collar once you no longer hold office.

Comment by Veil of Ignorance Tuesday, Jul 21, 20 @ 3:17 am
What’s this “if true” ??? Com Ed admitted they were bribing the speaker. What more do you need JB?? Unacceptable on both ends even if no indictment. There’s certainly enough to demand a resignation. How are you going to run for president with this in your back yard knowing about it and answering like that?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 21, 20 @ 4:16 am
How presidential of Pritzker. And by that I mean it sounds like his response was crafted by Joe Biden.

Comment by BigDoggie Tuesday, Jul 21, 20 @ 8:34 am