AG Blanche criticizes Pritzker for refusing help as crime runs rampant in Chicago
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is criticizing Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for refusing federal aid to combat gun violence in Chicago, despite 37 shootings in two days. Blanche details significant crime reductions in Washington, DC after federal intervention. He also highlights the FBI’s success in catching a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud and recovering $5 billion in stolen funds.
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The city of Chicago was hit by a spate of shootings over the weekend, including a Juneteenth mass shooting that left seven dead and 38 injured in the Windy City. The shooting prompted President Donald Trump to ask Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker to take action by asking for federal aid.
The Associated Press reported that at least a dozen shootings occurred over the weekend, with victims ranging in age from 18 to 50. On Friday night, two unidentified people opened fire on a crowd in Princeton Park on Chicago’s South Side, resulting in 12 people – eight men and four women – being hospitalized, according to the AP.
That same night, a 29-year-old man named Mario Price was killed in a shooting in which he was shot in the body and face, according to Fox 32 Chicago. A 70-year-old man standing next to her was shot in the leg but survived. The firing continued on Saturday and Sunday, resulting in more deaths and injuries.
Besides this, on Thursday, a 14-year-old boy was shot multiple times, which led to his death, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper reported that the Midwest Hawks youth football team, the boy he was a member of, mourned his passing, saying in a statement that “no words can ease the pain of such a loss.”
AG BLANCHE SLAMS PRITZKER FOR REFUSING HELP AS CHICAGO CRIME WATCHES
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks on stage during the No Kings Rallies in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 18, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 27, 2026. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Royalty Free; Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In response to the firing, Trump shamed Pritzker for not taking action.
“There’s a lot of Murder going on in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why didn’t Governor Pritzker call me for help. I could make Chicago a safer city in ONE MONTH, ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest places!!!”
The president pointed to crime in the nation’s capital, writing, “DC has gone from one of the worst cities to one of the safest cities in the US.”
Besides Washington, DC, Trump also sent National Guard troops and federal authorities to Portland, Los Angeles and Memphis. After lengthy legal challenges, Trump sent several hundred troops to the Chicago area late last year. However, the deployment of this was arrested in court, the soldiers were released in January.
TRUMP’S DC CRIMINAL SUCCESS IS CLEAR IN CHICAGO’S ‘BAR ZONE’
Earlier this month, Chicago police reported that 29 people were shot and four people died in a three-day shooting spree in Chicago. (FOX32 Chicago)
Pritzker, one of the most prominent Democrats in the country and a 2028 presidential candidate, has repeatedly rejected Trump’s offer to send the National Guard and federal authorities to eradicate crime in Chicago.
At a news conference last year, Pritzker insisted, “Mr. President, don’t come to Chicago,” adding, “You’re not wanted here and you’re not needed here.”
Pritzker said, “If this was happening in any other country, we would have no problem calling it what it is – a dangerous power grab.”
ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to reporters outside Trump Tower in Chicago as he criticizes the Trump administration’s potential plan to send National Guard troops to the city. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
In October, Pritzker mocked the idea that Chicago was experiencing violence during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. Wearing a Kevlar vest and standing in downtown Chicago, the governor laughed, “This is JB Pritzker, reporting from war-torn Chicago. As you can see, there’s chaos and confusion on the ground. It’s really disturbing.”
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“We’ve seen people forced to eat hot dogs with ketchup, and our deep dish pizza, well, it’s gone a little bit. So, it’s a challenge to survive here in the city of Chicago, but there’s no hellscape I’d like to have,” said Pritzker.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Pritzker for comment.
