(The Center Square) – The Illinois Freedom Caucus has filed articles of impeachment against Gov. J.B. Pritzker for what it says is his engaging in conduct that constitutes inciting violence.
Part of the impeachment resolution in House Resolution 466 that the Illinois Freedom Caucus filed includes quotes from Pritzker’s State of the State speech on Feb. 19 where he characterized the Trump administration as using an authoritarian playbook.
“If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said earlier this year.
The resolution says Pritzker “has issued inflammatory statements that incite violence against elected officials, citizens, and persons located in the United States and has failed to uphold the constitutional requirement to faithfully execute the laws of the State of Illinois.”
Before the announced articles of impeachment, Pritzker denied calling Republicans Nazis Monday.
“No, I have not. That is completely false. I have never called Republicans Nazis,” Pritzker told reporters in Chicago. “I’m glad you brought that up because they’re like, well, that’s what they’d like to say. They’re lying. They’re lying. Well, that’s not what I called them.”
The impeachment resolution also references a March 22 speech where Pritzker said, “I won’t continue to advocate that we wage a conventional political fight when what we really need is to become street fighters.” Another speech from April 27 is also referenced where Pritzker is quoted telling an audience in New Hampshire: “These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
While the Trump administration says it is going to dismantle networks that foment political violence, Pritzker said he doesn’t trust the administration to bring the temperature down.
Pritzker spoke after hearing from people at City Colleges of Chicago Monday. He said he heard about the fear people have because of immigration enforcement and the fear people have after Turning Points USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
“We cannot rely on President Trump to tamp down the anger and the passion in the aftermath of political violence. Instead, he actively fans the flames of division,” Pritzker said.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller told Vice President J.D. Vance hosting the Charlie Kirk Show Monday that the Trump administration is targeting their anger from Kirk’s assassination on what he called terrorist networks.
“With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people,” Miller said.
Kirk’s alleged assassin is in custody and witnesses are cooperating.
