Tag: Blagojevich

There’s a “trend” in Pritzker’s questionably close relationship to Blagojevich

In an interview with WLS’ John Howell & Ray Stevens, reporter and Connected To Chicago host Bill Cameron said J.B. Pritzker and Rod Blagojevich swapping campaign cash and state grants “sounds like pay-to-play to me”.

Here are some other highlights from Bill Cameron in that interview:

“I’d be surprised if it were not pay-to-play.

“…This is kind of a trend in which you now have [Pritzker] in a relationship with Blagojevich. The first one being having been caught on tape in an FBI wiretap trying to get Blago to line him up to be State Treasurer.

“So being pals with Blago is never a good idea because Blagojevich turned out to be so toxic. Anyone, anything he touched is poisoned.

“And you also have the property tax break after he pulled the toilets out of his Astor Street mansion. These are things that people will remember…“

Cameron is alluding to the bombshell Tribune report where it was revealed that Pritzker and Blagojevich swapped campaign cash and state grants four days apart.

Pritzker and Blagojevich are no strangers to helping each other out.

Since 1996, Pritzker bankrolled Blagojevich’s political interests, and in return, Blagojevich and Chicago ward bosses propped up Pritzker’s failed plans to run for office.

While Blagojevich may have failed to elect Pritzker, Pritzker still held up his end of the bargain. Pritzker and his family contributed over $160,000 to Rod Blagojevich’s campaigns.

And let’s not forget when the Chicago Tribune published their first bombshell report on Pritzker’s close ties to Blagojevich this past May.

FBI wiretaps revealed Pritzker schemed with Blagojevich to be appointed Illinois Treasurer. In the same call, Blagojevich pressed Pritzker for campaign contributions. Pritzker brushed off the FBI wiretaps by saying his calls with Blagojevich were an attempt at “public service“.

Illinoisans should be worried about what Pritzker will do if he’s allowed to buy the governor’s office just like he bought influence with Blagojevich.

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Pritzker “thinks big” when writing campaign checks to Blagojevich

“J.B. Pritzker ‘thinks big’ when it comes to writing big campaign checks to Rod Blagojevich. Pritzker gave so much cash to Blagojevich’s gubernatorial campaigns  – $121,000 in total – he was his fifth largest individual donor. It makes one wonder if Pritzker had state grants and political appointments on his mind when he was writing those big campaign checks to Blagojevich.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

J.B. Pritzker is working hard to hide his close ties to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich, but campaign contributions last forever.

Public records reveal Pritzker was Blagojevich’s fifth largest individual campaign donor. Before Blagojevich’s arrest, trial and conviction, Pritzker personally contributed $121,000 to Blagojevich’s gubernatorial campaigns.

There is no doubt that Pritzker’s and Blagojevich’s ties run deep.

Days ago in yet another bombshell Tribune report on J.B. Pritzker’s close ties to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich, it was revealed that Pritzker and Blagojevich traded campaign cash for state grants.

And let’s not forget when the Chicago Tribune published their first bombshell report on Pritzker’s close ties to Blagojevich this past May. FBI wiretaps revealed Pritzker schemed with Blagojevich to be appointed Illinois Treasurer. In the same call, Blagojevich pressed Pritzker for campaign contributions.

Quid pro quo – that’s the name of the game for Blagojevich-loving politicians like Pritzker.

Illinoisans should be worried about what J.B. Pritzker will do if he’s allowed to buy the governor’s office just like he bought influence with Blagojevich.

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Pritzker: “I know Rod [Blagojevich] is going to be very helpful.”

Tribune report reveals another sad chapter in the extensive Pritzker-Blagojevich relationship

“J.B. Pritzker is just another corrupt insider who tries to buy influence and power. First we learned from FBI wiretap tapes that Pritzker considered buying his way into public office by seeking an appointment to the Treasurer’s office from Rod Blagojevich. Now, we learn Pritzker gave Blagojevich a $100,000 campaign check in return for a $1 million state grant. Illinoisans should be worried about what Pritzker will do if he’s allowed to buy the governor’s office.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

In another bombshell Chicago Tribune report on J.B. Pritzker’s close ties to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich, it was revealed that Pritzker was involved in yet another pay to play scandal with Blagojevich.

On October 27, 2006, Pritzker and his wife wrote a $100,000 campaign check to Blagojevich’s reelection campaign, and four days later, Blagojevich announced a $1 million state grant to the Illinois Holocaust Museum, where Pritzker was the chief fundraiser.

As the Tribune says, “In Illinois politics, timing is everything.”

Public records reveal J.B. Pritzker was Rod Blagojevich’s fourth largest donor, and Blagojevich rewarded Pritzker for his generosity. And J.B. Pritzker was very generous – even as many people were distancing themselves from Blagojevich.

From the Tribune report:

“…Part of that record is his relationship with the now-imprisoned Blagojevich, whose name is synonymous with Illinois corruption. Many prominent Democrats took pains to distance themselves from the former governor while he was still in office. Pritzker, though, maintained a lower public profile during those years and stayed in touch with Blagojevich.

“The campaign contribution and release of the state grant money is among the examples from Blagojevich’s tenure as governor that demonstrate the strong ties between the gregarious politician and the heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune…

“…On Oct. 11 — less than a month before the November 2006 election — a federal grand jury indicted Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko, one of Blagojevich’s closest advisers and top fundraisers. Prosecutors alleged that Rezko used his influence to seek millions of dollars in kickbacks and campaign donations from firms seeking state business. Then-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called the actions of Rezko and a co-conspirator who was cooperating with prosecutors ‘pay-to-play politics on steroids.’

“It was in that political environment that Blagojevich, who had a voracious appetite for campaign cash, continued to raise money in a flurry. According to state records, Blagojevich collected $2.2 million in October, the final full month of the campaign…

“…Records show that J.B. and Mary Kathryn Pritzker gave Blagojevich two donations, both recorded on Oct. 27 — one in the amount of $60,000 and the other for $40,000.

“Four days later, Blagojevich announced the state grant to the holocaust museum, according to a news release.”

Pritzker-Blago Ties Run Deep:

Pritzker was a member of Blagojevich’s “$25,000 club,” where Blagojevich awarded state appointments and contracts to campaign contributors for writing $25,000 (or greater) campaign checks. Pritzker contributed $30,000 to Blagojevich’s first gubernatorial run. Soon after winning election, Blagojevich appointed Pritzker Chair of the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

This past May, the Chicago Tribune published their first bombshell report on Pritzker’s close ties to Blagojevich.

FBI wiretaps revealed Pritzker schemed with Blagojevich to be appointed Illinois Treasurer. In the same call, Blagojevich pressed Pritzker for campaign contributions. Pritzker brushed off the FBI wiretaps by saying his calls with Blagojevich were an attempt at “public service“.

What will voters learn about Pritzker’s “public service” with Rod Blagojevich next?

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