Illinois Democratic state Sen. Emil Jones III has been granted a reprieve in an ongoing corruption scandal after his bribery case ended in a mistrial. In response to a series of similar outcomes, Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended existing ethics laws, urging faster legislative reforms even as Jones vowed to continue fighting.
For context, cases against AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza and former House Speaker Michael Madigan have also ended in mistrial, prompting Political science professor Connie Mixon to criticize the state’s culture of corruption.
Deflecting responsibility, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, “All are being held responsible under laws that are on the books now, ethics laws and laws that hold what they did illegal and have brought them to trial.” Continuing, he said, “We’ve gotten a lot done. I continue to advocate. Sometimes the legislature doesn’t move as fast as I’d like them to.”
Upset by this inadequate response, Connie Mixon, director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, reacted, “There are legislative things that can be done to help curtail some of this corruption, and yet our General Assembly doesn’t seem interested or doesn’t feel any urgency in pushing through legislative reforms.”
Republican state Sen. Darby Hills declared, “Regardless of the outcome of this case, it’s clear that the people of Illinois want honesty, fairness, and accountability from those in office. We must keep working toward a more transparent and trustworthy state government.”
Reacting to the news on X, the Illinois GOP wrote, “It’s unbelievable that we need to provide this kind of update, but here’s the latest on IL corruption cases 🙄: ◾️ Sen. Emil Jones III will be retried on charges of bribery & lying to the FBI.◾️ Ex-Speaker Madigan’s sentencing hearing is set for Friday.”
This is far from the Illinois governor’s only controversy in recent months, as we reported. Pritzker appeared to threaten Donald Trump, and when a clip of the incident was posted to social media, conservatives were incensed by Pritzker’s wild rhetoric and potential treason, slamming his shameful attack on the president.
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The Illinois governor made his remarks on April 27, 2025, in which he complained about conservatives. Starting his rant, the woke Democrat said, “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now. You [know], these Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
Continuing his absurd rhetoric, Pritzker explained how he wants to accomplish his goal. He added, “They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone we have. We must castigate them on the soap box and then punish them at the ballot box.”
Reacting, Edward Issac-Dovere, a CNN reporter, described the event as, “Pritzker calls for mass protests and disruption – “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace,” he says, swaying their portraits will one day be put in museums “reserved for tyrants and traitors.'”
Reacting to the apparent call for violence, many users tried to bring his remarks to the attention of law enforcement. One reply in this vein read, “@FBIDirectorKash @FBIDDBongino this is a direct call to violence against @POTUS Time to make an example out of the treasonous scum.”