Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from

Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from his job on COVID


Republican President Donald Trump lashed out Friday night at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over Chicago’s gun violence, saying the two had put their “own political interests” ahead of the lives of residents and insisting that “law and order” was needed.

In a letter, Trump also used the violence issue as a jumping off point to attack the state and city for high taxes and burdensome regulations, contending Pritzker and Lightfoot’s “insatiable appetite” for taxes has led people to flee Illinois.

A Pritzker spokeswoman said Trump’s letter was a “press stunt” aimed at serving as a distraction “from his long list of failures, especially his response to the deadly coronavirus and nationwide calls for racial justice.”

And Lightfoot, who delights in blasting Trump, responded with a statement saying she doesn’t “need leadership lessons” from Trump and accusing him of using victims of gun violence to try to score “cheap political points.”

Read more: https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-donald-trump-chicago-violence-letter-pritzker-lightfoot-20200627-tasm2em2gra6xlg57gvrdpu2se-story.html