2 days Ago By BRENDEN MOORE [email protected]
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker isn't backing down from the fiery sentiments in a high-profile speech that Republican critics say amounted to a call for political violence from the potential presidential contender. Pritzker The second-term governor from Chicago, speaking at a New Hampshire Democratic Party fundraiser on Sunday , called for mass protests, mobilization and disruption to oppose actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration.
"These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace," Pritzker said. "They must understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soap box and then punish them at the ballot box.
" The latter two sentences made reference to speaking out and voting. But the first line struck a cord with Republicans in Illinois and across the country, who called it "reckless, irresponsible and just dangerous." McCombie “Gov.
Pritzker's rhetoric has crossed a dangerous line," said Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savana. "In July, he rightly declared, ‘Violence is never the answer in our democracy.’ Yet now, he calls for mass disruption, declares that Republicans ‘cannot know a moment of peace,’ and urges Americans to ‘become street fighters.
’ These are not the words of a unifier — they are the words of someone willing to trade principle for power." Illinois Republican Party chair Kathy Salvi said Pritzker's "ego-driven obsession with becoming president is putting Illinois, and Republicans across the country, at risk." She continued: "His inflammatory and dangerous speech is focused on further dividing our country and I hope to see Illinois Democrats condemn his call for violence.
" Pritzker, speaking to reporters after an unrelated event in Chicago on Monday, rejected the Republican's framing around his speech, which he said lacked the context of his full remarks. "It's about standing up, speaking out, again, using your megaphone, your microphone, whatever you've got," Pritzker said. "And the peace that I'm talking about is making sure that (Republicans) know at all times that the American public opposes the policies of congressional Republicans and of the White House.
" Pritzker's "peace" comment also drew a response from the White House. Trump Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that "his comments, if nothing else, could be construed as inciting violence," then mentioning previous assassination attempts against Trump. The governor dismissed Miller's remarks as "terrible hypocrisy.
" “Remember, Stephen Miller is part of a gang of people who apparently support the idea of attacking the federal Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and then offering a pardon to all of those people who committed violent crimes,” Pritzker said, referring to Trump's pardons of those convicted in the attack. Pritzker, who is widely seen as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, has carved out an increasingly national profile as one of Trump's most pugnacious critics in recent months.
In his State of the State address in February, the governor alluded to the 1930s rise of Nazi Germany when describing the early actions of Trump's second administration, saying he was "watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now." Pritzker later in that speech said that "when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control." The governor, echoed that sentiment again over the weekend, calling for Democrats to fight back harder against Trump and Republicans.
He criticized "do-nothing Democrats" who have "been timid, not bold" following Trump's victory last November, saying they wanted "to blame our losses on our defense of black people and trans kids and immigrants instead of their own lack of guts and gumption." New Hampshire is traditionally the first state in the nation to host its presidential primary. Pritzker has done extensive political travel over the past few years, often speaking in front of and introducing himself to Democrats in other states.
Just in the past few months, he has been the keynote speaker at both the Human Rights Campaign's annual gala and the Travis County, Texas. Democrats' annual gala. He is expected to appear at more events in the coming weeks and months.
Contact Brenden Moore at [email protected] .
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