Illinois quick hits: Trump says Johnson, Pritzker should be in jail; FBI director discusses Chicago gangs

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Trump says Johnson, Pritzker should be in jail

President Donald Trump says Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be in jail for failing to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday morning that “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers. Governor Pritzker also.”

Pritzker responded by saying Trump is calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. In an X post, the governor asked, “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”

Johnson posted on social media “Chicago will not be intimidated.”

“This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested,” Johnson responded on social media. “I’m not going anywhere.”

McCombie responds to Pritzker’s claim

After Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Republican leaders in the state legislature failed to stand up for him when a social media influencer filmed outside his house and essentially blamed the governor for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s murder, Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said she has consistently and publicly denounced violence.

In a statement to The Center Square, McCombie said that in the video currently circulating, Pritzker admitted that he asked her to “post something,” which she had already done repeatedly.

FBI director discusses Chicago gangs

FBI Director Kash Patel says Chicago has 110,000 gang members.

Patel made the claim on Fox News after visiting the city Tuesday.

The director said that President Donald Trump sent the FBI into cities quietly to set the stage for the National Guard.