By: Mark Glennon*
Gov. JB Pritzker finally responded to criticism of his recently announced electric vehicle battery factory to be built in Manteno, Illinois by Gotion, which is closely tied to the Chinese Communist Party – the CCP.
“MAGA Republicans have made themselves so irrelevant that they have to rely on xenophobia to gin up controversy for their base,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement to Politico. “Maybe if Republicans in Washington focused on doing their jobs the government wouldn’t be on the verge of a shutdown.”
“MAGA Republicans”?
Hmm. Perhaps Perhaps Pritzker should read this: “Why Democrats joined Republicans opposing money for a controversial Big Rapids battery plant.” That’s the headline in a Michigan Live column earlier this year about Gotion’s substantially identical project in that state. There’s no shortage of Democrats who have joined Republicans in opposition.
The final hurdle for Michigan’s state approval was a vote in the Senate’s appropriation Committee, and the “10-9 committee vote underscores a growing, bipartisan discomfort with promoting companies with ties to China and with the state’s incentive system, with three Democrats…joining the six Republicans on the committee in opposing the Gotion deal,” as The Michigan Bridge reported. [Emphasis added.]
Here in Illinois, those demanding answers about Gotion’s CCP ties include Republican Congressmen Darin LaHood and Mike Bost.
And if Manteno residents who showed up at Monday’s Village Board meeting speak about the Gotion project are a representative sample, opposition certainly isn’t limited to MAGA Republicans and xenophobes. They unanimously opposed the project, as you can see in this video summary.
Responding to Pritzker’s comments, Joseph Cella, a former U.S. ambassador and co-founder of the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group (MCESRG), told us on Friday, “This is a textbook disinformation and diversionary statement.” Cella is among the leading Gotion critics.
Gotion unquestionably is tied deeply to the Chinese Communist Party. The most recent summary of the evidence is in a letter sent this week by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and five GOP Congressman, including Bost. Rubio is hardly a MAGA Republican, either, having run against Trump for the Republican nomination.
However, opposition to Gotion projects isn’t limited to the CCP connection. Serious environmental questions have been raised, along with the corporate welfare issue. The Illinois project is slated to receive some $8 billion of taxpayer assistance for a factory that will cost Gotion $2 billion to build. Democrats and Republicans alike no doubt share those concerns.
Wirepoints is now collecting articles about the Illinois Gotion scandal here.
Most Illinoisans are not aware of the problems with Gotion and its deal with Illinois. That’s because Illinois’ legacy media have almost entirely blacked it out. That’s in stark contrast to Michigan where the press has covered the heated controversy closely.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
The real question is whether “MAGA Republican” is better or worse than “Carnival barker”?
It is incomprehensible that the negotiations prior to announcement didn’t violate OMA. Meetings (discussion of public business) by public bodies require specific public notice and access. OMA defines Meetings, in part, as : ” (5 ILCS 120/1.02) (from Ch. 102, par. 41.02) Sec. 1.02. For the purposes of this Act: “Meeting” means any gathering, whether in person or by video or audio conference, telephone call, electronic means (such as, without limitation, electronic mail, electronic chat, and instant messaging), or other means of contemporaneous interactive communication, of a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for… Read more »
“ Pritzger trots out the same inane criticism brought against Trump when he tried to close the border and keep undesirables from other countries from entering America, actions that ultimately turned out to be the sane option.”
The mere fact that the Sun Times or the Tribune is not all over this borders on disgust to me. Those fish wraps need to die as they have morphed into propaganda for the Pritzker machine. I thought the Madigan machine was bad but am wondering now who is worse.
I’m not convinced people read them anymore. TV and cable are far more dangerous.
No matter how corrupt and disgusting this deal is, the media simply will not touch it besides alternative sources like WP as usual. There are good reasons that the CCP would get involved in elections, and the money which politicians are influenced by is relatively small compared to what the Chinese get in return. Destabilizing the US and having companies as a front for spy ops. Put it all together folks, the politicians are for sale and they are selling out for pennies on the dollar. The truth is there are leaders out there who are not for sale and… Read more »
When he starts a sentence with “Maga Republicans…” I quit reading. It tells me everything I’m going to need to know. This is the trigger he thinks he needs to get liberals attention. Hope they’re not going to get “played” by him again. The price for the game he’s playing is so high. They will regret it if they listen to him again, we all will.
TRUTH does not mind being questioned…
A LIE does not like being challenged…
Hence JBP’s indignation that anyone would dare to question him…
-1 👎…
JBP reads WP…?
““MAGA Republicans have made themselves so irrelevant that they have to rely on xenophobia to gin up controversy for their base,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement to Politico. “Maybe if Republicans in Washington focused on doing their jobs the government wouldn’t be on the verge of a shutdown.””
Well, that’s just about as adversarial and denigrating as a guvmn’t pol can go in an ‘official’ response.
Which goes a long way toward explaining why nothing gets done in DC, and nothing changes in Illinois.
No, Gordon, Pritzker has been far more adversarial and denigrating than that. Check out the highlights of one of his presidential teaser speeches he gave here. I can recall nothing as hateful, vicious and dishonest in modern times in America: https://wirepoints.org/pritzker-honed-his-presidential-stump-speech-in-florida-with-hatred-and-dishonesty-wirepoints/
What’s really sad is how well this sort of stuff seems to work for the pol’s who make regular – which is to say habitual – use of it.
Get’s ’em over the hump…
There’s the presentation and then there are facts. Good luck finding quantifiers that back up their lies.
The real problem is our side failing to put up a fight and complaining after the damage is done.
JB spelunking for misery again?
JB had to have known the same CCP ownership controversy/problems Gotion was facing trying to open a plant in Michigan would come up if they tried to open plant in Illinois…The bottom line is, PATHETICALLY JB is so desperate to get in on the EV game before convention time ,that even with $1/2 bill in state subsidies and who knows how many $billions in fed subsidies, a Gotion is ONLY TAKER in opening any kind of manufacturing plant in super union friendly, tax crazy, litigation nightmare crazy,,,etc,etc State of Illinois.
Another angle would be— JB & dem machine are so desperate to keep up illusion that Illinois is still somehow a blue collar union manufacturing state that they are spending $1/2 bill in taxpayer bucks to look good come convention time by signing deal with, the only taker they can find, CCP/Gotion EV manufacturing. And then hoping dullard/ spelunking Illinois taxpayer/voters are to stupid to notice. SCANDALOUS!!
Even I, a former Illinois (almost lifelong) resident, never thought the state leadership would sink so low as to ally themselves with foreign enemies. I’m proud of those that stood up for what’s right and moved out of the state. To those that remain, when will you get some backbone and join us?
You’re right. Just when we think it can’t get any
worse, and especially with humpty dumpty, it does.
And I’m working on it….. Working on getting my grown
children on board. I tell them, even if I don’t succeed in
leaving, I want you guys outta here!!
Humpty lives in Illinois as much as Gov. DeSantis. How often do you see any evidence of the corpulent trust fund “governor “ in this state?
He’s been spending more time this summer at his compound in Lake Geneva WI. A good friend is a neighbor, seeing the caravan of black cars coming and going. However, summer has ended, so maybe JB will be in state more often to press on with the general ruination of Illinois.
Maybe we encourage longer getaways. Save
the state. 🙂
I never looked. Why is that relevant?
Bingo. Those that stay in Illinois are willingly funding, enabling and being complacent in the criminal activity of the Illinois state government.
Its not much different than Russians who refuse to flee & enable Putin’s Regime. Except we haven’t sent Illinoisans into a meat grinder yet.
By that logic, every American (regardless of how they voted) should immediately emigrate to another country because if they don’t they are “willingly enabling” and “being complacent (sic) in the criminal activity of the Biden government”.
Been in Texas for going on my 2nd year now. The rest of the clan is slowly seeing the writing on the wall. Most reasons have been what we already know, sky high property taxes, crime, safety, and overall cost of living. It’s probably people who are locked in with government pensions and those that fail to understand that there are many places where the grass is greener. Change is hard for most people. Portillos is here (I am not waiting two hours for a beef by the way) and overall money simply goes farther. Those that are stuck often… Read more »
Anyone that thinks moving out is going to fix things should really watch Tucker Carlson interview Ken Paxton. Ken Paxton is the attorney general of Texas and is fighting RINO interests trying to take over Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkyitd6mG3U
I’m staying in the fight. I’m fighting for Illinois.
Manteno homeowners have standing to demand enforcement of local zoning ordinances (which require public notice for conditional use permit or re-zoning to heavy industrial, e.g.).
Manteno homeowners may be able to oust local officials who have possibly violated Open Meetings Act by meeting with petitioners “in secret”, without proper, legally required public notice and hearings.
Newly elected local officials may be differently motivated than those who now facilitate quick, dead-of-afternoon backdoor access to stripmining resources of their community.
Love your comment! People should NOT be sitting ducks —
at the mercy of corrupt greedy (traitorous) politicians.
How sickening what this sick gov will do for a sick deal. And
he spreads his sick where ever he can.
Shameful!
Both Pritzker and Whitmer had to be re-elected for the Gotion deal to go thru. Billions rested on their 2nd term. You can’t convince me that China didn’t interfere in both Governor races. In fact Pritzker race was called at 645pm before DuPage PAPER ballots were returned to Wheaton and voting still was happening for another 15 minutes.
Makes perfect sense to me! The speed at which those
results came in was ridiculous to any thinking person.
Love your name, btw 🙂
It was called based on exit polls not actual results. I guess to the uninformed it appears ridiculous but this has been done for years.
But that has gradually changed as it was thought that calling a winner in a somewhat close race hours before the polls closed was creating undue influence.
Sure it’s changed for close races but it wasn’t a close race. JB won by double digits. Also, I’m not aware of any news organizations that called the race before the polls closed. It wasn’t called at 6:45 but rather 7:00 PM by AP based on exit polling. Question everything lied. Pretty common by many commenters.
Okay. Who’s the moron?
Look in the mirror for your answer. You clearly don’t understand how things work.
Whenever Pritzker gets called out for wrongdoing, he resorts to name calling – it’s his ‘tell’. Where there is smoke, there is fire – Pritzker needs to be investigated.
His brother Ton is being investigated….
Red, what are you referring to? Either put up your support for a claim like that or don’t make the claim.
Just a guess but I think this is what Red is referring to.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/03/31/epstein-lawsuit-billionaires-sergey-brin-thomas-pritzker-and-mortimer-zuckerman-subpoenaed-in-jp-morgan-case/?sh=36e4aa726dc9
Wirepoints has done an excellent job of covering this issue, and the true ownership behind Gotion. Governor Carnival Barker will try to use the typical liberal jargon in an attempt to mask what he is doing. These include racist, MAGA and xenophobic. The truth will need to hit other outlets if it is to take root however. Spread the word.
Either the downvote is appalled by you calling out the governor and his name calling or this person doesn’t believe in truth and the need for free press. Downvote, bring your courage to the discussion and defend your position.
Bring it, indeed! We dare you
The downvoters are the type that Gub’ner Carnival Barker
appeals to — and as such he uses the typical liberal jargon.
This creature has never been able to defend himself in any
way that makes sense, so he does this or he deflects. smh
The thinking citizen sees through it, however, and is disgusted
by such small thinking. (Guess that’s why u r Ex Illini). I’m
working on that. :/
Just a supposition on my part but WHY does a person spend 1/3rd of a billion dollars to become governor of a state twice with massive liabilities and NOT expect something in return. The return may be down the road and not immediate. As a lay person with billions does not give him the power to make these deals since he is using taxpayer money and not his own so nothing to lose on his part.
Don’t forget–Absolute power corrupts absolutely and the gov is in the drivers seat with power AND money.
I agree with you, and have 3 things to add:
1) recorded phone calls w/blago,
2) removing toilets, and
3) the tyrany of handling covid 19
If one has paid attention, they would see that
we have a person in charge who has no morals
and who loves control. Very dangerous
Democrat playbook: When all else fails yell Nazi!!!!
Republican playbook. When all else fails yell Marxist!!!!
When you give billions in tax breaks to the Chinese Communist party, what else would you call him but a Marxist?
I would call him a communist. A government that follows socialism, but is controlled by small group of authoritarian “dictators “.
Please help us understand how a Chinese Communist Party-backed company should receive $4 for every $1 it invests? For that matter, justify any company receiving that much from taxpayers? Educate me, Bill.
It’s INCOMPREHENSIBLE!!!
Thinking that “Bill from Fox Bend” may be part of Emperor Xi’s 50 cent army.
Rich Miller can’t answer your question
If the shoe fits…
Pritzker can’t defend his giving a XXX to the Chi-Coms — so he has to use the most lame deflection move of all — playing the race card — which is a big lift when you’re a white trust-fund billionaire
I doubt he would self identify as white. Silicone Joe thinks the biggest problem in the US is white supremacy.
LOL
Never challenge the dictator, when he is challenged he has a hissy fit like a 2 year old, end game Pritzker thinks his shit don’t stink.
Please, clean up the language.
Pritzker is grabbing for straws now. The question is will it work or not considering the media is not on this. I have this feeling there is a lot of dirt in the background on the whole situation but without investigative reporting the back room will stay in the back room.
Sadly, in Illinois, what happens in the back room stays in the back room.
Major Illinois media outlets are nothing more than progressive cheerleaders.
$8 billion in subsidies for a $2 billion plant is absurd, but makes perfect financial sense to JB Pritzker. After all, it isn’t his money.
When will Illinoisans wake up?
Pat, please do call them progressives. They are not! They are the definitional synthesis of “communists, Marxist, auto-tyrannical, socialists”.