Category: News

Chicago — Welcome back to yet another edition of Continuing Corruption, the place you go to every week to learn about how another member of the Democrat Party of Illinois betrayed the trust of their constituents. When politicians are accused of compromising their moral compasses for personal gain, the consequences reverberate through the halls of power. Such is the case with Tom Cullerton, a former Illinois senator whose involvement in a do-nothing job scandal left a stain on his political career. 
Senator Cullerton represented the 23rd district as an Illinois senator from 2013 until his resignation in 2022 and pleading guilty to federal embezzlement charges.

Tom Cullerton’s downfall began with a 41-count federal indictment in August 2019. The indictment alleged that Cullerton had pocketed approximately $275,000 in salary and health benefits from the Teamsters for a job that required little to no actual work. The disclosure of Cullerton’s charges came in the wake of Teamsters chief John Coli pleading guilty to extortion charges.

A distant relative of Tom, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton had no choice but to remove Tom as chairman of the Senate Labor Committee following the indictment. However, instead of a complete withdrawal from political responsibilities, Cullerton named his relative as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

One of the most troubling aspects of Tom Cullerton’s journey is that just 11 days after being released from prison, he ventured into the realm of lobbying.

Cullerton serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of political greed and the imperative need for ethical conduct within the political sphere. It highlights the importance of maintaining trust, transparency, and accountability in our elected officials. The citizens must demand unwavering integrity from their leaders and reinforce the belief that no one is above the law.

###

CHICAGO — Today, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy released the following statement after the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s decision, reinstating J.B. Pritzker’s law eliminating cash bail: 

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling makes it painfully clear that elections have consequences. Democrats, first led by Mike Madigan and now by JB Pritzker, spent tens of millions of dollars to elect a 5-2 majority of Democrats on the Illinois Supreme Court. It is not surprising that the Court would vote along political lines to allow Governor Pritzker and the Democrat controlled legislature to disregard constitutionally protected rights of crime victims in abolishing cash bail. This historic change in criminal justice law, combined with progressive Democrat prosecutors like Kim Foxx and Eric Rhinehart, will significantly undermine public safety by releasing from custody dangerous, violent criminals at a time when police are under attack and Illinois families and crime victims already fear for their personal safety.”

###

Chicago – Continuing our commitment to uncovering corruption within Illinois politics, we remember the shady history that the Democrat Party wants us to forget. In the realm of politics, trust and integrity are pillars that shape public perception and determine the trajectory of careers. Sadly, there are instances where politicians succumb to temptation, compromising their moral compass for personal gain. Terry Link, a former Illinois Senator, found himself in such a predicament when he became entangled in a tax evasion scandal that shook the foundations of his political career.

Link served as a Democrat member of the Illinois Senate representing the 30th District, which includes parts of Lake County, from 1997-2021. He was the Senate Assistant Majority Leader and a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission.

Link was known for his involvement in various legislative initiatives during his tenure, particularly in the areas of gambling and transportation. Link had been an advocate for expanding gambling in Illinois and was instrumental in the passage of legislation that led to the construction of new casinos and the introduction of video gambling in the state. He also served as the chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee.

Link’s transgressions centered around his personal income taxes. In 2020, he faced charges of tax evasion, accused of underreporting his income and filing false statements. It is disheartening to witness an elected official, who should serve as a role model, engage in such unlawful activities

Do you remember Luis Arroyo? In 2019, Link wore a wire for the FBI and recorded former state Rep. Luis Arroyo offering him a bribe. It is believed that Link agreed to cooperate in exchange for a lighter sentence on his pending charges.

The Terry Link tax evasion scandal serves as a cautionary tale, showcasing the consequences of personal greed and unethical behavior in politics. It highlights the importance of maintaining trust and accountability in our elected officials. We must demand integrity and ethical conduct from our leaders, reinforcing the belief that no one is exempt from the consequences of their actions.

###

CHICAGO — The latest SCOTUS decision over affirmative action has Democrats crying foul. Over what, exactly? Claims that BIPOC students wouldn’t be able to get into good colleges; it is insulting and ignores the actual contributing factors that have led to the issue. In reality, this landmark decision marks a significant step towards a fair merit-based system that ensures equal opportunity for all students.

As Don Tracy, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party puts it in his op-ed published in Real Clear Politics, if Democrats really want to improve the education of Black and brown students, they’d focus on learning opportunities from kindergarten to senior year of high school, not just college admissions.

Tracy wrote: “Instead, black and brown children living in America’s cities are collaterally damaged by Democratic party politics. Democrats care more about currying favor with teachers unions to win elections than they do about creating opportunities for children.“

Chicago Public Schools aren’t doing a good job educating their students, with approximately one fifth of students being able to read and do math at their grade level. This is a massive problem that the Democrats just don’t care about. Rather than giving kids the opportunities to learn in environments best suited for their needs, Illinois Democrats are focused on throwing money at public schools who fail our students.

“Just this spring, Pritzker, Welch, and the Democrats killed the Invest in Kids school choice program that enabled disadvantaged black and brown children to attend the same elite private schools to which they send their own children,” Tracy wrote.

As Chairman Tracy argues throughout the piece, school choice is the way to ensure all students excel in their studies; not allowing Affirmative Action to choose winners and losers based on their race.Read more from Chairman Tracy in Real Clear Politics here.

###

CHICAGO — Welcome back to our series, Continuing Corruption, where we’ll always shine a light on the Illinois Democrats who continue to engage in corrupt, criminal behavior. Last week we wrote about Elgie Sims, who is under federal investigation for allegedly using his powers as a legislator to get a quick buck. This week we’re continuing that theme by introducing you all to former Rep. Luis Arroyo, whose attempt to bribe a fellow lawmaker so he could profit financially from state dealings landed him in jail.

Who is Luis Arroyo? He was the state representative for Illinois’ Third District from 2006-2019, who also served as Assistant Majority Leader to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2017. He chaired the Appropriations-Capital committee, which played a crucial role in getting Governor J.B. Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure plan and gas tax hike passed.

In August of 2019, Arroyo attempted to bribe a fellow lawmaker in exchange for a favorable vote on gambling-related legislation, that he, as a registered Chicago lobbyist, would directly benefit from.

In October 2019, Arroyo was charged with one count of federal program bribery. He was never expelled from his office, choosing to resign before any arrangements were made. In his resignation letter, he made sure to thank his pal Pritzker for ‘doing what others before him could not do’, in passing the $45 billion plan the corrupt Democrat supported.

After pleading guilty to a federal wire fraud charge in 2021, Arroyo is currently serving a five-year stint in prison for his crimes.

Illinois is lucky that the lawmaker Arroyo attempted to bribe had the decency to turn him in, but we know from our previous and future editions of this series, that’s not always the case within the Democrat Party.

###

Let’s be honest, anyone who has balanced their budget, gone to the grocery store, or filled up their gas tank recently can tell you that inflation remains high.

Yet, Democrat leaders like President Joe Biden and Governor J.B. Pritzker aren’t counting the ways they can save families in Illinois money – instead, they’re talking about spending more!

While Biden travels to Chicago to talk about all the tax dollars his administration is spending, a new fiscal year is rapidly approaching, where many new Pritzker tax hikes and fee increases are set to kick-in. Just take a look at all the new ways Pritzker and Illinois Democrats are going to be taking more money out of YOUR pockets beginning this Fourth of July weekend:

•Returning Grocery Tax.

•Motor Fuel Tax Increase.

•Permits to Cremate Remains? Doubled.

•Cost to Obtain County Recorder Real Estate Information? Doubled.

•Local Sales Tax Increase.

•Minimum Wage Increase = Tax on Small Businesses and Consumers.

As families and small businesses prepare for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, know this: inflation may be high, but Biden and Pritzker’s tax-and-spend policies will make costs at the register even higher.

Please see the following statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy:

“Illinoisans aren’t interested in watching Joe Biden and J.B. Pritzker offer self-congratulatory pats on the back while their families struggle to put food on the table and keep the lights on in their small businesses. It’s time for Democrats to offer relief and real solutions to the issues Illinois families face, not more of the same tax-and-spend agenda that got us where we are today.”

###

Thank you for joining us for the third edition of Continuing Corruption, where the wrongdoings of the Illinois Democrat Party aren’t forgotten. Illinois has been a hotbed of crime and corruption. At a time where trust in police is at an all-time low, campaign promises to fix the problem are very attractive, but unfortunately, Elgie Sims is putting his wallet ahead of his constituents.

Since 2022, Sims has been under investigation by the FBI for influence peddling. In 2021, Sims wrote legislation which he said would make Illinois’s criminal justice system better, including amending a law which would make it mandatory for police officers to wear body cameras by 2025.

What wasn’t mentioned when the bill was proposed is the fact that Sims is an attorney representing Axon Enterprise, an Arizona company that makes police body cameras.

The FBI approached Sims in September of 2022, and has since been under federal investigation. It’s not like Sims wasn’t aware of how unethical this is, he was contacted by the Chicago Board of Ethics in April 2020! Even without that warning, anyone with common sense can see what Sims did was wrong.

Can you guess what committee Sims is on? The Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee. Sims’ own website describes him as “one of Illinois’ leading voices in the effort to reform our state’s criminal justice system”.
This week, J.B. Pritzker claimed there was “less corruption in politics” due to an “increase in prosecutions.”  If that’s the case, why are so many Illinois Democrats, including Sims, allowed to remain in their seats and have influence over legislation?

###

CHICAGO – Today, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy released the following statement in response to news that Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to federal tax charges in exchange for a plea agreement: 

“It’s a sad day for Americans who are reminded yet again that there are two-tiers of justice. The political motivations that sweep serious cases, like that of Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, and many Illinois Democrats, under the rug, yet throw the book at former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have irreparably eroded the confidence Americans have in our justice system. The DOJ must do away with its ‘rules for thee, not for me’ mentality; and they can start by addressing the corruption problem that has taken root in the Illinois Democrat Party.”

###

Gov. Pritzker’s $50.4 billion dollar budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, negotiated behind closed doors without any discussion with Republicans. With the largest budget in Illinois history. It would guarantee further massive tax burdens for residents in a state that is already the highest taxed in the nation. And that’s if they haven’t fled the state after this year, like the 146,000 residents who fled in 2021.

Pritzker’s fifth and final budget proposal was signed into law last Wednesday, and these are some of the highlights:

The budget features $45 million dedicated to addressing a growing migrant crisis in the city, a crisis that Gov. Pritzker seemingly failed to address to President Biden in their discussions while keeping his eye on the White House. It includes an additional $550 million in taxpayer funds to Medicaid for migrants as well, highlighting the cost that Biden’s border crisis has created for every state in the country, not just our border states.

This is a budget the Chicago Teachers’ Union loves, taking taxpayer dollars from working families to subsidize student loans while taking away opportunity from under-resourced children who had an opportunity to grow in schools that their families were able to choose. The budget stripped funding for the Invest in Kids program, pushing thousands of kids benefiting from tax credit scholarships out of the schools they love.

Illinois owes more than it owns. While Pritzker claims the state’s debt has been cleared, the numbers don’t lie. At the end of the 2022 fiscal year, Illinois had $39.1 billion available to pay $249.6 billion worth of bills. 2023 is already shaping up to be a lower than expected year for annual revenue, with state income down compared to the previous year.

In April of this year, the state experienced a 23% drop in revenue, $1.8 billion less, compared to revenue in April 2022, and now the Democratic Party of Illinois has voted in the state’s largest budget to date.

And that doesn’t include the tax increases Pritzker just dropped into the laps of residents.

The 2024 fiscal year budget starts on July 1.

###

CHICAGO –  Welcome back for our second installation of Continuing Corruption, a reminder of the aberrant activity that plagues the Illinois Democrat Party. Illinois taxes are hard enough to stomach for the average citizen, but knowing that your hard earned dollar is being used to pay off someone else’s lawsuit is a hard slap in the face – even more so when you find out Sen. Michael Hastings is still a powerful legislator. 

Hastings was first made a defendant in 2019, when his former chief of staff sued on the basis of racial, gender, disability, political discrimination, and harassment. Instead of doing the right thing and paying for his lawyers out-of-pocket, the state paid a private attorney to defend him to the tune of $47,000. That’s right, almost $50K of taxpayer funds went to help a politician defend inappropriate conduct. The lawsuit lasted two years and was settled out of court in 2022.

And you know who paid for that settlement? Illinois taxpayers had to cough up $150,000 to pay for Hastings’s misconduct! That money could’ve been spent on roads, infrastructure, literally anything better than where it ended up.

Yeah, that’s not all he’s done. It gets worse.

Divorce proceedings between Hastings and his ex-wife started in 2021 and were unsealed in late 2022, revealing very disturbing details about the senator’s home life.

Police records obtained by WBEZ showed that his ex-wife told officers that Hastings physically abused her in 2020 by putting her in a headlock and repeatedly threw her against a door. Other court documents and police records show a pattern of physical and verbal abuse towards his ex-wife, including alleged incidents where he abused her in front of their two children. The same two children that Hastings proudly shows off on his campaign website. Classy.

In September 2022, Hastings tried to weaponize the police against his ex-wife during a custody exchange of the children by attempting to have her arrested. Officers declined to arrest his ex-wife as she had not committed any crimes.

An environmental lobbyist publicly cut all ties with Hastings after alleging that the Senator would get into unprofessional outbursts, bully her, and intimidate her throughout their five year working relationship. And frankly, who can blame her?

Sen. Michael Hastings currently sits on three committees: Judiciary, Licensed Activities, and Special Issues. He isn’t some random politician taking up space, he’s a powerful member of the Illinois Democrat Party, and no one is stopping him.

###