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Left: Jan. 6 rioters during the 2021 Capitol attack (Department of Justice). Right: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill, Monday, June 12, 2023, at Harold Washington Library’s Thomas Hughes Children’s Library in downtown Chicago (State of Illinois via AP).
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has issued a directive to the state’s Department of Central Management Services, ordering it to block pardoned Jan. 6 rioters from serving in local government jobs, calling their actions “infamous and disgraceful” — and a threat to the “integrity of our workforce and safety,” per the directive.
“These rioters were accused or convicted of a combination of felonies and misdemeanors, including but not limited to: violence against law enforcement officers, threats against Members of Congress, destruction of federal property, and many other crimes,” the directive said from Pritzker, a Democrat, who sent it on Thursday. The document was posted online by NBC News.
President Donald Trump issued pardons, dismissals and commutations to Jan. 6 rioters on his first day in office last month. He referred to the charges and convictions from the 2021 Capitol attack as a “grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years,” per his executive order. Trump claimed the pardons and dismissals begin “a process of national reconciliation” — but Pritzker says otherwise.
“These crimes … threatened public safety as Members of Congress, staff, and other workers who were forced to hide from the violence for hours,” Pritzker said. “I am committed to building a State workforce that upholds our shared values and delivers results for the people of Illinois. Our State workforce must reflect the values of Illinois and demonstrate honesty, integrity, and loyalty to serving the taxpayers. No one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Pritzker’s order applies to all rioters, including the more than 50 people from Illinois who were granted pardons or commutations by Trump. The directive was addressed to Raven A. DeVaughn, director of the Department of Central Management Services, who is reportedly in charge of filling local government positions.
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The Sun-Times reports that 43 of the 53 defendants from Illinois were already convicted and sentenced when Trump took office.
“It was a witch hunt,” Nishay Sanan, attorney for Illinois rioter and former cop Karol J. Chwiesiuk, told the Sun-Times last month. “This was the Democrats’ attempt to go after Trump and his supporters.”
Pritzker, a known Trump critic, has called out the president repeatedly on social media since he became POTUS. Last week, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “The days ahead will be tough, I won’t lie to you. But we’re Illinois — we’re strong, we hang together, and we will win.”