Pritzker invests in billion dollar state Medicaid provider, breaks campaign promise with massive conflict of interest
This morning, it was revealed in reporting done by the Better Government Association (BGA) that Governor JB Pritzker’s “blind” trust bought stock options in one of the state’s largest Medicaid contractors.
Trust Buys Stock in State Contractor
From the BGA…
The blind trust set up to manage Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s vast wealth bought stock in one of the state’s biggest Medicaid contractors in 2020, the same year his administration made several decisions that benefited the company’s bottom line.
The purchase of stock in health insurance giant Centene Corp. was made on behalf of the billionaire governor by trustees at Northern Trust, appointed by Pritzker to independently manage his portfolio to separate those investment decisions from his role as the state’s most powerful elected official.
Did JB Profit Off of Investment?
From the BGA…
Neither Pritzker representatives nor the managers of his trust would say how much the investment in Centene is worth to Pritzker’s bottom line. They also declined to say specifically when the stock purchase was made.
Asked whether the governor — after learning he became invested in one of the state’s largest contractors sometime during 2020 — took steps to recuse himself from decisions that directly affected the company’s finances, his spokeswoman said he has not.
More Pritzker Promises Broken
From the BGA…
In 2019, Pritzker took office assuring voters he would divest his portfolio of companies with state contracts, and also promised to make charitable contributions equal to any trust investment that made money from a state contract during his term.
Questions That Need Answering
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