‘This Was Not Random Misfortune’: There’s Blood On JB Pritzker’s Hands Again
Authorities say Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman was shot in the head by an illegal immigrant who found sanctuary in Chicago.AIPAC suffers loss in congressional race, millions of dollars squandered helping Chicago mayor's ally
Several super PACs linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee reportedly poured over $20 million into multiple House primary races in Illinois in hopes of advancing favored candidates or at the very least kneecapping candidates critical of Israel.
Some of the groups' investments paid off.
'There’s no gray lines as it relates to their beliefs.'
For instance, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller — a beneficiary of nearly $4.5 million in ad spending from the AIPAC-linked group Affordable Chicago Now — defeated former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the Democrat primary for the state's 2nd Congressional District.
In the Democrat primary for the 8th Congressional District, former Rep. Melissa Bean, another beneficiary of spending by an AIPAC-aligned group, also came out on top, beating Junaid Ahmed, a leftist whom AIPAC faulted for centering "his campaign on attacking Israel."
However, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate who ran in the 7th District Democrat primary to replace retiring incumbent Rep. Danny Davis, turned out to be a bad investment.
With 90% of the votes in, the Associated Press called the race for state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Democrat with a history of tax fraud who secured 23.9% of the total vote. Conyears-Ervin, one of only handful of candidates who said in a WBEZ-FM survey that she did not oppose sending U.S. military aid to Israel, trailed behind with 20.5% of the vote.
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The United Democracy Project, an AIPAC super PAC established in 2022, poured nearly $5 million into positive ads for Conyears-Ervin, reported Politico.
Austin Weekly News reported that the AIPAC group's intervention in the race was criticized by many of the other 13 candidates, including Ford, who was backed by the retiring incumbent.
"I’ve also had meetings with the very people that’s spending this money," said Ford. "They want you to say 'yes' to everything that they have requests for. There’s no gray lines as it relates to their beliefs. It’s a yes or no. … 'Don’t have a conversation, that this is what we want. We want you to vote with us in Washington 100% of the time, and we want to control our member,' and that’s what this is about. And I refused that type of relationship."
Ford suggested further last month that "this money dwarfs, or tries to dwarf, the voice of the voters in the 7th Congressional District, and it would tell you immediately who this candidate will be beholden to. Follow the money."
Kina Collins, one of the leftist candidates defeated on Tuesday, said last month that it was "not going to help [Conyears-Ervin's] case that AIPAC is backing her."
While AIPAC's support may have negatively affected Conyears-Ervin's chances, she also had plenty of baggage. For instance, she reportedly agreed in September to pay a $30,000 fine to resolve charges brought by the Chicago Board of Ethics.
Conyears-Ervin, an ally of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), was accused of misusing city resources and retaliating against whistleblowers — allegations she denies, reported WTTW.
Conyears-Ervin's race was among the Illinois primaries regarded as a test for AIPAC. The lobbying group characterized the night as a win overall, however, stating, "Illinois voters rejected half a dozen anti-Israel candidates across several heavily Democratic open-seat races. These results further demonstrate that campaigns defined largely by opposition to AIPAC, our members, and the values we represent continue to fall short on election night."
The group added, "Although Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin did not advance, AIPAC congratulates State Representative La Shawn K. Ford on his win. The pro-Israel community is proud to have helped defeat Kina Collins, who has voiced anti-Israel views over multiple election cycles."
Ford — who was indicted on 17 counts of bank fraud but ultimately pleaded guilty in 2014 to only a single misdemeanor charge of tax fraud — will face off in the general election with Republican nominee Chad Koppie, a farmer and retired Delta Airlines pilot whose "main goal is trying to ban abortion."
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'Not true': Chicago Mayor Johnson's ICE order has his own prosecutors up in arms
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) touted big plans to go after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. However, the city's top prosecutor is calling out Johnson's anti-ICE executive order as a "wholly inappropriate" disaster, while alleging the mayor's claims of collaboration are "not true."
In late January, Johnson signed the "ICE on Notice" executive order, which directed the Chicago Police Department to investigate and document any alleged illegal activity by federal agents, then refer that evidence to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for potential prosecution.
'Mayor Johnson's statement is not true.'
Johnson claimed that Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke's office was "in complete support of this executive order."
"Our office worked closely in collaboration with the state's attorney's office to ensure that this executive order will have the ability to do exactly what it is designed to do," the mayor told reporters in January.
O'Neill Burke rebuked Johnson's claims, writing in a post on X, "Mayor Johnson's statement is not true. The CCSAO did not receive the Executive Order until it was released to the public. We do not provide legal approval of any matter until we've reviewed it. On such a critical issue, it's important we get it right."
Yvette Loizon, the CCSAO's attorney for policy and external affairs, issued a two-page staff memo criticizing provisions listed in Johnson's order, according to a Saturday report from CWB Chicago. Loizon reportedly called some aspects of the order "wholly inappropriate" and warned that it "jeopardizes our ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions when federal agents have committed a crime."
The memo also allegedly stated that O'Neill Burke is "deeply concerned" about federal immigration agents "who have been wreaking havoc in communities across the country and in our own neighborhoods."
"The Mayor's recent Executive Order introduces additional hurdles," it reportedly read.
Loizon criticized Johnson's executive order for instructing police to refer matters for prosecution "at the direction of the Mayor's Office," arguing that it tainted a process that was intended to be non-political, CWB Chicago reported. Loizon also reportedly contended that defense attorneys may argue that any charges were politically motivated and illegitimate.
Johnson's office responded to the criticism, claiming that it had "reviewed the language with the State's Attorney's Chief of Policy and made edits based on their feedback."
"The CCSAO's public statements do indicate complete agreement with the objectives of the executive order," the mayor's office insisted.
The CCSAO did not respond to a request for comment.
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'ICE on Notice': Chicago Mayor Johnson threatens to prosecute federal agents enforcing immigration laws
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an "ICE on Notice" executive order on Saturday, threatening to prosecute Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for potential misconduct.
Johnson's executive action directed the Chicago Police Department to "investigate and document alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents and refer evidence of felony violations to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for prosecution."
'Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.'
CPD officers are directed to document federal enforcement activities, including by recording body-camera footage and verifying names and badge numbers of federal supervisory officers on the scene. Police are required to submit a complete report detailing any alleged violations.
Any documented illegal activities will be shared with the public, according to the city.
The mayor claimed that the order created "a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago."
Johnson further alleged that the Trump administration's federal immigration operations have "violated constitutionally protected rights." He also claimed that ICE activities have "destabilized communities" and "provoked life-threatening confrontations."
RELATED: Seattle's sanctuary mayor orders local police to investigate ICE activities
"Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as 'absolute immunity' in America," Johnson stated. "The lawlessness of Trump's militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today's order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents."
In a statement to the Center Square, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara Jr. called Johnson's executive order political bluster.
"The only good thing in that piece of toilet paper is 'no CPD member will be required to arrest any federal agents,'" Catanzara said.
Catanzara raised concerns that the order requires police to document any allegations of misconduct against a federal agent.
"That needs to be a two-way street, and I will advise our members of such. Citizens can also be named offenders," he said.
“These claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are FALSE,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with WLS-TV.
McLaughlin stated that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “ICE is held to the highest professional standard, and officers regularly receive ongoing training.”
“As our brave law enforcement arrests and removes dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and gang members from our communities, America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring [to] the job, day in and day out,” the statement continued. “Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”
McLaughlin contended that the state’s sanctuary policies had led to the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. She noted that there are over 4,000 immigrants with active detainers currently incarcerated in Illinois jails.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (D) took similar action against federal immigration agents last week, requiring the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document immigration enforcement activity.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild called the mayor's action "toothless virtue-signaling rhetoric," declaring that the "concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous and will not happen."
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Blue cities reject law, reject order — and reject America
Allow me to shock some of my readers by declaring my opposition to President Trump’s plan to send the National Guard into crime-ridden cities. My objection has nothing to do with constitutional authority. Having studied the matter, I believe the president does, in fact, have the power to deploy federal forces to address rising urban crime.
History also shows such interventions can work. The drop in violence in Washington, D.C., after federal forces arrived to restore order is evidence enough.
If residents wanted leaders who took crime seriously, they would vote for them. Their refusal to do so exposes their political priorities.
I also concede that a case can be made for this step in the District of Columbia. Washington is under congressional jurisdiction, and the president, operating within that framework, has made the city safer for residents, political leaders, and foreign visitors. The mayor has even expressed appreciation for the assistance, although the District’s electorate — heavily black, heavily Democratic, and deeply hostile to the administration — continues to seethe at the very idea of federal involvement.
And for the record, the president is entirely justified in directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pursue illegal aliens with criminal records. These offenders have no right to remain in the United States, and the Democratic effort to preserve them as foot soldiers for the party is as cynical as it is transparent. The administration deserves credit for removing these “high-value” assets from the Democratic client network.
Ungrateful, unwanted
My problem arises with Trump’s call for federal intervention in cities where the local government — and most of the population — passionately opposes it. Even if the president can deploy the National Guard without a governor’s approval, prudence suggests he shouldn’t.
I can think of few officials more odious than Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) or Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D). Yet both remain far more popular in their city than Trump or the GOP. Johnson’s approval is collapsing, but it is almost certain that whoever succeeds him will be another black or Hispanic Democrat who wins votes by railing against our supposedly “fascist” president.
Residents of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods express emphatic disapproval of Trump’s plan. These are people who live amid constant danger yet habitually vote for leftist mayoral candidates. The same pattern holds in Portland, Charlotte, St. Louis, and Baltimore — cities Trump proposes to “liberate” with federal intervention.
Voters chose this
I cannot imagine why Trump should insert himself where voters clearly do not want him.
If residents wanted leaders who took crime seriously, they would vote for them. Their refusal to do so exposes their political priorities. I consider those priorities misguided and even self-destructive, but it is absurd to claim “the people are demanding” help when most are vocally rejecting it.
Voters should be allowed to live under the governments they choose. If they wanted different policies, they would stop electing Democrats who call for defunding the police, eliminating bail, and condemning crime prevention as racist. Despite the Fox News narrative, minorities who vote this way are not “victims” of Democratic manipulation. That idea is as fanciful as the GOP refrain that today’s Democratic Party is simply the slaveholding party of the 1830s. Voters who elect leftist Democrats are not trapped. They are expressing, clearly, the type of society they want.
RELATED: ‘He's not that smart’: Homan lampoons Chicago mayor for pleading with UN to intervene against ICE
The vote that counts most
Ben Shapiro recently said something that rattled some listeners but which I find eminently defensible: If you abhor the politics of the place where you live, move. He followed his own advice, leaving deep-blue California for increasingly red Florida. Some interpret this as a call to uproot families and abandon long-standing communities.
But what exactly is the alternative? Should the federal government override election results because a city or state radicalized itself? Should Trump nullify votes? That will not happen. Nor can we easily disenfranchise those who lawfully exercise the franchise and continue electing the mayors, prosecutors, and governors responsible for our collapsing urban order.
Those who reject the leftist agenda retain one real option: vote with their feet. This path frees citizens from majorities who have democratically chosen anarcho-tyranny — not only for themselves but for everyone else who lives under their jurisdiction.
If a community insists on preserving violent disorder, permissive prosecutors, and ideological governance, the federal government cannot save them from themselves. Only the voters can. And until they do, they deserve the government they support.
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