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*** UPDATED x4 - Pritzker (again), Biss, RGA, Pritzker respond *** Rauner launches full-throated attack on Pritzker for “hiding from taxes” with off-shore trusts

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* Mary Ann Ahern asked Gov. Rauner about a press release his campaign sent out earlier today attacking JB Pritzker for hiding money in off-shore accounts. Doesn’t he do the same?

Gov. Rauner: Not at all.

Mary Ann Ahern: You don’t have any off-shore accounts?

Rauner: I do not.

Ahern: That was reported in your first term.

Rauner: Yes, so, so Mary Ann, here’s the spin. This is, this spin is amazing. So, I have assets, I’ve worked hard, I’ve made all my money. I didn’t inherit money. Um, and, uh, uh, I worked hard for teachers and made teachers a lot of money for their retirement. I worked for police officers, made a lot of money for their retirement, and I made a lot of money. I’m proud of it. I’ve never apologized for it.

I have investments that I do not control. For example, investments in, in banks and insurance companies, etc. They manage some money. And what’s got reported, which is true, some of them, for their accounts, where I’m a tiny piece, I have no voice, I have no control over decision-making, they have investments in some operation in Bahamas, or somewhere. Tiny for me, tiny for them, I don’t control it, I don’t have a voice in it. That’s what got reported and spun.

Um, the candidate Pritzker, inherited over $3 billion. And he and his family has chosen, chosen, on a massive scale to hide hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of their money off-shore in accounts outside of the United States.

That is fundamentally wrong. That is gonna come out and it is outrageous.

Ahern: [Over cross-talk, made a point about how Pritzker made $15 million last year]

Rauner: Exactly. So get this. Mary Ann, great question [laughter]. Great question. So, you inherit, you inherit $3 billion. And if you want to see how good a businessman he is, go look up how he did with his New World Ventures, you can really see some truth about how good a businessman he is.

But, inherits $3 billion and he’s still got $3 billion years later, mostly. And, but he only reports $16 million of income. How do you do that? I mean, you, you have to be one of the worst investors on the planet to only generate $16 million of income on $3 billion of assets.

How do you do that? By hiding from taxes and tax avoidance. That’s how you do that.

* Pritzker campaign…

In response to the Worst Republican Governor in America’s comments at this morning’s press conference, Pritzker campaign manager Anne Caprara released the following statement:

“We’re not going to get in the way of the Bruce Rauner implosion tour.”

Nope. Not good enough. Not by a long shot.

It’s time JB Pritzker answered questions about his assets. Gov. Rauner made some very valid points today. The Democratic billionaire needs to stop hiding behind snarky statements and release the names of his trust funds. Period.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…

Bruce Rauner’s accusations are false and he is lying about JB Pritzker. In addition to releasing his personal tax returns, the total taxes paid by trusts benefitting JB, charitable contributions made personally and by his foundation, JB also filed a detailed Statement of Economic Interest that lists personal investments and assets as well as those held by trusts benefitting him. JB and trusts benefitting him have paid a combined $25 million in state taxes and $136 million in federal taxes over the last three years.

There are some trusts that were established by JB’s family a couple generations ago. JB did not set them up, has never received a personal disbursement from them, and he has directed that any disbursements from these trusts be given to charity. Those are facts, and Bruce Rauner’s attempt to distract from his disastrous campaign can’t change them.

ADDED: In regard to the offshore question, there are some trusts that were established by JB’s family a couple generations ago. JB did not set them up, has never received a personal disbursement from them, and he has directed that any disbursements from these trusts be given to charity. Those are facts, and Bruce Rauner’s attempt to distract from his disastrous campaign can’t change them.

They also claim that Pritzker inherited a bit over a billion dollars, not the three billion claimed by Rauner.

…Adding… From another campaign…

That “bit over a billion” is a red herring. That number is from before Hyatt got taken public and a lot of family owned [assets] got sold.

*** UPDATE 2 *** RGA…

Illinois Democrat candidate for governor and billionaire heir to the Hyatt fortune J.B. Pritzker is being called out for refusing to answer questions over reports that he is hiding his income sources from voter scrutiny in offshore accounts.

The multi-billionaire only reported $15 million in state taxable income this year, leading to questions over Pritzker’s use of offshore trusts to shield his income from taxation.

Illinois’ top political blog, Capitol Fax, slammed Pritzker’s campaign this afternoon for refusing to answer questions about his assets, including his refusal to list the names of the offshore trust he benefits from. “The Democratic billionaire needs to stop hiding behind snarky statements and release the names of his trust funds. Period.”

Pritzker’s primary opponent Chris Kennedy has already listed the names of the trusts he benefits from. Previous reports have detailed the Pritzker family’s “legendary use of hundreds of offshore trusts to protect its wealth from taxes and the prying eyes of the Internal Revenue Service.”

J.B. Pritzker’s refusal to answer questions about his offshore trusts shows he may have something to hide.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Biss campaign…

Today, Daniel Biss’ campaign released the following statement in response to Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker’s astonishing attacks on each others’ financial interests and tax returns.

“Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker are two sides of the same shiny gold coin,” said Biss spokesperson Tom Elliott. “Both billionaires lacking government experience. Both have private trusts they don’t control, and can’t disclose, and aren’t willing to report how much they’ve made from them. Both use their business acumen as reasons they should be governor, yet neither have released their full tax returns.

“If we’ve learned anything from the failures of Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump, it’s that success in business doesn’t equate to success in government, and that a candidate who isn’t being fully transparent with their financial interests can’t be trusted to have our best interests in mind.

“While Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker attack each other in an astonishing battle of the billionaires, everyday Illinoisans are struggling to make ends meet. That’s why we need Daniel Biss, the only middle-class candidate with a record of getting things done, who we can trust to make government work for us, not the uber wealthy and the political elite.”

*** UPDATE 4 *** G…

At a press conference today, Bruce Rauner claimed that in his career in business he “worked hard” for teachers and police officers and “made a lot of money for their retirement.”

But the truth is Bruce Rauner tried to strip those same teachers and police officers of their hard-earned retirement money. In 2015, Bruce Rauner proposed massive cuts to benefits for police officers, public-school teachers, and firefighters with “little or no input from organized labor.”

“Bruce Rauner has never ‘worked hard’ for teachers and police officers and is only interested in their benefits when it lines his own pockets,” said Pritzker Communications Director Galia Slayen. “This is a failed governor who has worked to cut benefits and undermine working families to advance his special interest agenda.”

* Related…

* Fact Check: Do Pritzker and Kennedy Have a Tax Transparency Gap?: There is no law in Illinois requiring gubernatorial candidates or governors to release any tax information whatsoever, and Biss is clearly engaging in some campaign hyperbole when he refers to a Rauner standard and a Romney standard. That said, we find the essence of his statements to be True.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:11 am

Comments

  1. ==“We’re not going to get in the way of the Bruce Rauner implosion tour.”==

    What a nightmarish response. I think someone should get fired over that.

    Rauner’s making a serious allegation here, and it might be too cute by half, but he should definitely keep doing if the Pritzker campaign is going to fumble every time like this. The “I earned my money” vs. “I inherited my money” claim is going to be repeated a lot in the next eleven months, and it’s pretty compelling.

    Comment by Chris Widger Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:15 am

  2. Pritzker didn’t inherit three billion dollars. As has been mentioned here a fair bit he inherited about a billion and turned it into three. But please don’t confuse Bruce Rauner with facts.

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:17 am

  3. As a voter I don’t need to know the names of Jb’s trust at all. I would rather knowabout the Rauner/Koch agenda for Illinois than someone’s private trust account.

    Comment by Real Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:18 am

  4. The issue isn’t going away and will only intensify closer to the election, especially with all the natural attention that will be brought out with the Trump investigation.

    I don’t want Pritzker to win so I hope he keeps on his current path, but he would be better off to just get it out of the way now.

    Comment by Ahoy! Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:20 am

  5. This is surreal.

    We have businessmen-turned-politicians who are vying for — wait for it — the “I’m a better businessman than you” label while running for political office.

    Uh huh.

    Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:20 am

  6. Pritzker obviously shopped around and found some CDs that are yielding one half of one percent. We need this kind of savvy business experience.

    Comment by CDs are great Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:21 am

  7. I guess in Rauner’s mind, failing to maximize personal income at every opportunity is the worst thing he can think of.

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:23 am

  8. == they have investments in some operation in Bahamas, or somewhere==

    Oh, so it *is* the same.

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:24 am

  9. Pritzker has some severe land mines to navigate here. It’s not Rauner’s attacks on these things that will cause him the most trouble; it’s the friendly fire from his own side on this. Kennedy and Biss, et al. are getting some reasonably high level oppo assistance from the Rauner crew on this.

    They’ll use it.

    Comment by A guy Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:24 am

  10. I think Pritzker’s response works today but it has a very short shelf life. Clearly Rauner isn’t having a good week and would really like to change the subject. I can’t necessarily blame Pritzker for not playing along. But I agree that he needs to come clean on this issue. I also think Rauner is just as vulnerable here because he seems to be trying to parse this by saying that even though he has money in the Bahamas it’s somehow “different”. I’m not sure if the voters are going to be able to discern between how two different rich guys manage their off shore accounts.

    Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:25 am

  11. ==As has been mentioned here a fair bit he inherited about a billion and turned it into three.==

    Did he, or did the family? There’s some complicated splits as to who runs what aspects of the family business.

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:25 am

  12. I suppose that JB can argue that his ideas for a graduated income tax will at least result in the people who create his tax shelters paying more income tax.

    Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:26 am

  13. ===complicated splits as to who runs what aspects===

    Yep.

    Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:28 am

  14. Rich is right. He needs to give the names of the trusts to get the info out there and move past this issue. If he lets himself get done in by this issue, he should not be running our state. I mean, Rauner thinks that earning “only” $16 million is a solid talking point. It would be very easy for Pritzker to put on some info and turn this issue on Rauner. Just do it already.

    Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:28 am

  15. I seem to recall Rauner buying nursing homes, draining their assets, declaring bankruptcy and walking away. That’s not the kind of businessman that succeeds as governor, Rauner has proved that over and over again.

    Comment by DuPage Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:29 am

  16. I don’t care how much money they have, earned, invested, entrusted, or how rich they are because being governor isn’t about these issues.

    Rauner is governor who says that he is not in charge. JB says that as governor, he will be in charge. For Rauner, he isn’t responsible for anything. For Pritzker, he says he’ll be responsible.

    Done deal here. I’ve voting for a responsible individual who will be in charge as defined by the constitution.
    Bye Bruce - you had your chance and you failed spectacularly.

    Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:30 am

  17. ==I think Pritzker’s response works today but it has a very short shelf life. Clearly Rauner isn’t having a good week and would really like to change the subject. I can’t necessarily blame Pritzker for not playing along. But I agree that he needs to come clean on this issue.==

    Yeah. It’s the kind of thing Take Out the Trash Day was made for.

    ==I’m not sure if the voters are going to be able to discern between how two different rich guys manage their off shore accounts.==

    Probably not, but it’ll depend on how much the issue is actually litigated. Voters may not know Rauner has his own offshore accounts, and Pritzker may never bring it up.

    (For that matter, voters may not know Pritzker has any offshore accounts, and Rauner may not want to try to bring it up again for just the reason you’re stating. It’s a weird game of message-chess.)

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:31 am

  18. JB would be better off laying it all out now. Voters have short memories; once it’s all out, there will be complaints, etc, but they will go away in a month or so.

    (Seriously…check out how Roy Moore’s poll numbers are bouncing back…just sayin’)

    Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:32 am

  19. “Did he, or did the family? There’s some complicated splits as to who runs what aspects of the family business.”

    He did. His business record has been rather public.

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:32 am

  20. Why don’t they both drop out and so we can get a couple regular millionaires to run for the office. Yeah, I know, Christmas doesn’t come this early..

    Comment by Mouthy Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:32 am

  21. ==I have investments that I do not control. For example, investments in, in banks and insurance companies, etc. They manage some money. And what’s got reported, which is true, some of them, for their accounts, where I’m a tiny piece, I have no voice, I have no control over decision-making, they have investments in some operation in Bahamas, or somewhere. Tiny for me, tiny for them, I don’t control it, I don’t have a voice in it. That’s what got reported and spun.==

    He’s a passive victim in life. isn’t he? What a weak sad man.

    Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:33 am

  22. The hypocrisy here is troubling. Those trying to minimalize this or turn it back on Rauner need to better understand the seriousness of it.

    Comment by People Over Parties Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:34 am

  23. I don’t care how much money they have, earned, invested, entrusted, or how rich they are because being governor isn’t about these issues.

    Rauner is governor who says that he is not in charge. JB says that as governor, he will be in charge. For Rauner, he isn’t responsible for anything. For Pritzker, he says he’ll be responsible.

    Done deal here. I’ve voting for a responsible individual who will be in charge as defined by the constitution.
    Bye Bruce - you had your chance and you failed spectacularly.
    =====

    And this is all that matters at the end of the day. Worrying about names of trust is a non issue.

    Comment by Real Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:34 am

  24. – I have investments I do not control.–

    LOL, poor guy is powerless in everything.

    You made the investments and your money is parked in The Bahamas. If you think off-shore accounts are bad news, then cash out. You have the power to do that, Madigan can’t stop you.

    Geez, whose idea was it to put this guy in front of the press again? He needs a long nap more than another press conference.

    Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:34 am

  25. ===I don’t care===

    Hey. Guess what? I don’t care that you don’t care. Blabber all you want. I really don’t care. lol

    Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:36 am

  26. My God the perfidy
    Rauner did not “earn” his money
    In the sense that he produced a good of service
    Producing a good or service
    I believe is what “earning” your money.
    Rauners invested money made money
    Yes countless fund managers, researchers, accountants and attorneys made recommendations on investments
    All Rauner had to do was make a decision
    That in my opinion is not “earning”
    Only in a parasitic capitalist sense is it “earning”
    Rauner puts more choice and decision
    Into his wine club with Rahm.
    What I don’t get is how could Rauner make more money
    After he comes into office
    Than before?
    How does that work?
    Putting money into offshore trusts
    Is perfectly legal
    Let’s see your investments Rauner
    I would like to know if
    Your investments
    Coinside
    With no bid contracts the state has made
    And paid first
    While schools and social services wait
    Did Munger facilitate this?
    What IT firms were you invested in!
    This might explain your
    Huge increase in income
    After taking office.

    Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:39 am

  27. If Rauner considers inheritance such a low-end tool for individual wealth, I suggest he do two important things immediately:

    1) Announce that he will not leave any more than, say, 5% of his wealth to his offspring…dumping the rest into charity.

    2) Push for a massive inheritance tax increase to address a budget crisis he didn’t create because he’s not in charge.

    I mean, if only everyone would work at making money as Bruce Rauner, we’d not be having this discussion would we?

    I understand the instinct of wealth shaming in politics. I’ve used it on Rauner multiple times. But theres a difference in the individual. I’m all for a wealthy candidate if they support economic fairness and justice for the working and middle class. This is something Rauner pretends to say, but not something his policies or actions actually do.

    Comment by Carhartt Union Negotiating Team Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:47 am

  28. This is from a Chicago Magazine article in October 2014, regarding his father’s employment. Someone Rauner never mentions in campaigning:

    “In 1971, when Rauner was a student at Lake Forest High School, the family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. Vincent had left his law firm to head up Motorola’s lucrative patents division, based in nearby Phoenix. Rauner finished high school there, then entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1974. He rowed crew as a freshman and joined a jock-heavy fraternity, Theta Delta Chi.

    “Though Rauner’s father eventually rose to be a senior vice president at Motorola before retiring in 1992, he was “tight with a dollar,” according to Dave Casper, an executive at BMO Harris Bank who was a roommate of Rauner’s.”

    Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:52 am

  29. ==Nope. Not good enough. Not by a long shot.==

    Really? The gold star Rauner press shop that everyone here lauded a few years ago hemmed and hawed around any mention of offshore accounts during 2013 (along with every other shady business dealing, like nursing home bust-outs) and cruised to victory against a not-wealthy opponent. Granted, Pritzker won’t have friendly press outfits to cover for him come endorsement time or to fire reporters like McKinney who dig too deep into his finances, but with everything else that will be surrounding this campaign I can’t imagine there is any chance that Pritzker (or Kennedy, who didn’t put out much info either) loses votes over this issue. At least not against this guy. Against anyone else it’d probably be a big issue, but any voter who says they’re choosing Rauner because of this issue was going to vote for Rauner anyway. Or is Daniel Biss.

    Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:57 am

  30. Completely missed in this ehole exchange is Rauners pride over his work for public sector employees - the same people his political life’s mission is to bury.

    Comment by The Way I See It Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:58 am

  31. - I didn’t inherit money -

    He was born a pauper to a pawn, on Christmas Day…

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:58 am

  32. >I’m a tiny piece, I have no voice, I have no control over decision-making,

    I hope this is not going to become one of the the themes of Rauner’s reelection campaign. Still, between this and property tax avoidance, Pritzker’s going to have some major vulnerabilities in the primary or general election.

    Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 11:59 am

  33. As much as I disapprove of Rauner’s job performance, he makes an excellent point: if you have $3 billion of assets and report just $16 million of income, something odd is going on. Rauner’s problem is Ives - who clearly comes off as “middle class” - is a much better messenger than Rauner to rake JB over the coals on this.

    Comment by DarkHorse Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:03 pm

  34. Investments he does not control?

    From the Trib in 2014. “GTCR submitted documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission declaring its ownership of six investments pools registered in the Caymans and valued collectively in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

    So he wasn’t in charge over there either?

    Comment by Juice Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:09 pm

  35. To those trying to minimalize this, or turn it on Rauner, your credibility is dwindling. Fast.

    Comment by People Over Parties Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:11 pm

  36. Pritzger’s problem is his whole family has a history of hiding assets and creatively avoiding taxes. Nothing wrong with that as long as legal although the family has had to pay some heavy duty penalties. But at some time doesn’t he have to disclose his economic interests?

    Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:12 pm

  37. ==The gold star Rauner press shop that everyone here lauded a few years ago==

    With the benefit of hindsight, we can tell that praise was bit much. Yes, his newer crew is even worse, but his numbers were dropping pretty much from day one.

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:12 pm

  38. It will be interesting to see how far Rauner and JB are willing to go in a rich dude micturating match. It’s said behind every great fortune is a great crime.

    Rauner certainly had his share of disturbing and unscrupulous business practices in the private sector revealed in his first campaign.

    And if you want to go back to the original sources of the Pritzker family fortune, you’ll find some colorful characters, to say the least.

    Kennedy doesn’t have their kind of money, but it’s well-documented that Grandpa Joe had some interesting business partners when he was climbing the ladder.

    But if I were running against JB, I’d focus solely on toilets and property taxes. I think more people can relate to and be angered by that scheme more readily than off-shore dodges.

    Plus, it’s got toilets.

    Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:13 pm

  39. So one day he is the Governor that is no more than an innocent bystander because he has no power to control anything and the next day he is the billionaire that has no control over where his money is invested. This guy is incredible in his amazing inability to lead and in his failure to hold himself accountable for anything.

    Comment by Redraider Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:18 pm

  40. =Those trying to minimalize this or turn it back on Rauner need to better understand the seriousness of it.=

    Then why don’t you enlighten us. I agree that Pritzker needs to come clean here but being lectured by Rauner on transparency is a little “rich”.

    Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:30 pm

  41. So they have a legal well thought out family estate plan that shields 40% (estate tax or $1.2 billion) of $3 billion inheritance? Any other practice would seem foolish at best.

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:31 pm

  42. Do Rauner or his fund’s have any foreign investors….because as we are seeing that may have now influence than investments overseas.

    Comment by Not a Billionaire Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:40 pm

  43. To the update-

    “There are some trusts that were established by JB’s family a couple generations ago. JB did not set them up, has never received a personal disbursement from them”

    If you read Stephane Fitch’s 2003 Forbes story on the structure of the Pritzker’s offshore holdings, this explanation doesn’t hold water. The design necessarily means that there are no distributions from the trusts.

    The trusts are loaded up with debt to other Pritzker controlled entities. Dividends from the assets held in trust are used as debt service to avoid being subject to tax.

    Comment by LakeviewJ Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:47 pm

  44. Anybody wanna place bets we’ll soon see a TV ad estimating just how much the Pritzker family’s creative tax strategies have cost Illinois in revenue - revenue which has been made up by the rest of us chumps? And good luck with the “Hey, it’s legal, and if you were as rich as us, you’d do it, too” line of defense.

    Comment by JB13 Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:52 pm

  45. I think JB should be more upfront about his financials and release more info. On the other hand, Rauner should be doing the same thing.

    Is it me or does Rauner really sound like a third grader (just like POTUS Trump) when answering questions? I mean, really, Ivy League educated and he stammers and studders like a little kid who got caught by his parents doing something wrong. Sheesh

    Comment by Honeybadger Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:55 pm

  46. As my Daddy used to say: “Son, when billionaires are fighting, it’s best to get out of the way.”

    I wish I had one decimal point of their problems.

    Comment by Colin O'Scopey Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:56 pm

  47. ==And good luck with the “Hey, it’s legal, and if you were as rich as us, you’d do it, too” line of defense.=

    Last guy who tried that line ended up in the White House, so.

    Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 12:56 pm

  48. “Mary Ann, here’s the spin. This spin is amazing.”

    That’s blunt. It’s an admission that his answer will be “spin”. It’s a comment you would ordinarily reserve for Diana or Hud.

    Widkipedia: “spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation…to persuade public opinion in favor or against some…public figure.”

    Comment by James Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:04 pm

  49. These two billionaire, elitist, hypocrisy tycoons going at it are more effective than epicac.

    Comment by WasAnon Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:06 pm

  50. === It’s an admission that his answer will be “spin”===

    No. Read it again. He was setting up the spin from the other side.

    Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:09 pm

  51. =Those trying to minimalize this or turn it back on Rauner need to better understand the seriousness of it.==

    You think next years race for gov is going to hinge not on the two year budget impasse, or on HB40, or the sanctuary state bill, or the gov increasing our debt by $10 Billion - but rather on who has the most transparent trust fund accounts?

    ==But if I were running against JB, I’d focus solely on toilets and property taxes==

    This, x 1000

    Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:12 pm

  52. JB’s spokes folks are using the word “never” a bit too liberally here methinks.

    Comment by A guy Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:25 pm

  53. -It’s time JB Pritzker answered questions about his assets. Gov. Rauner made some very valid points today.-

    Can someone look at Gov. Rauner’s economic interest statements for the past 2 years and maybe explain why/how the pharmaceutical stocks are not showing up on the 2017 statement? I believe there are 2 companies not showing up. If he sold the stock, its there a requirement to report that if the income was over $1,200?

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 1:53 pm

  54. If I’m in Rauner’s camp, Pritzker’s response tells me I may have found a thread. I agree that it’s not nearly as effective as the property tax gimmick, but it may help provide Rauner some cover from the real issues in Illinois that he had a direct hand in. If the election was on actual issues, Pritzker’s lack of a record would win in a heartbeat - making it about something else is Rauner’s best play.

    Comment by Downstate43 Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 2:01 pm

  55. Juice, the six GTCR Cayman entities were established over time as they raised new funds to allow non-US clients to invest on the same terms as US clients without incurring foreign currency problems. A number of major PE firms utilize these “sidecar” structures. US clients also know the non-US clients and vice versa.

    Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 2:20 pm

  56. This is not about Rauner vs Pritzker. Nope. This is way too early for heavy artillery. Nope. Nope. No. This is Rauner vs Ives. The guy is worried. And he sure as heck oughta be.

    Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 3:56 pm

  57. BDD, how is Rauner attacking Pritzker “Rauner vs. Ives?”

    Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 3:58 pm

  58. Oy. That Biss statement…amateur hour.

    Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 4:02 pm

  59. AA, thanks

    Comment by Juice Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 4:06 pm

  60. Word. Although retired, I am still involved with a group of mid-sized manufacturing company owners. Dont laugh. A think tank group. Darn near all die-hard Repubs. Me being one of the few independents. The consensus this week. Ives is a legit alternative. Their fear is she doesnt have the gas to get the job done. Most, however, think Rauner is going to get smoked in the general.
    These kind of press releases are coming out now to show that he, and only he can dig the dirt up on Pritzker. This is great stuff. But how much influence is it going to have on in the Dem primary. I say marginal at best. No. This is his attempt to assure whats left of his base, that he, and he alone is the ‘man’.

    Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 4:32 pm

  61. Wouldn’t it be much simpler and quicker if the Pritzker campaign just released all the information and move on? This should’ve just been a minor distraction, but the longer the wait the worse it becomes for their campaign

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 4:59 pm

  62. Frankly, how much they pay in taxes is not really relevant. What is relevant is actual policy objectives. Pritzker has a progressive agenda that will help ordinary people. Cannabis legalization is something the state and citizens need. Rauner is clueless and biased.

    Comment by Illinois Resident Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 8:13 pm

  63. I wonder who ‘ordinary people’ are?

    Comment by blue dog dem Tuesday, Dec 5, 17 @ 8:18 pm

  64. JB jump on the bandwagon and welcome Jeanne to the race for govenor

    Comment by Rabid Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 8:40 am

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