Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker worries that Trump will go to extremes to distract from Epstein files

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he’s worried about how President Donald Trump might respond to the growing controversy over documents tying him to Jeffrey Epstein.

“My great fear, of course, is that with the release of that information, which I think will be devastating for Trump, he’s going to do everything in his power to distract,” Pritzker told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday. “What does that mean? I mean, he might take us to war with Venezuela just to get a distraction in the news and take it out of the headlines.”

Pritzker, widely seen as among the top potential Democratic presidential contenders in 2028, also directed some of his sharpest criticism at members of his own party. He said the decision by seven Democratic senators and one independent to side with Republicans in a Senate vote to end the government shutdown was an “enormous mistake” that played right into Trump’s hands.

“I’ve been on team fight from the very beginning,” Pritzker said. “And I don’t appreciate when we’ve got Democrats who are caving in and doing basically what the Trump administration wants.”

Pritzker did not join calls for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to step aside, which has come from some Democrats who think he should have fought harder. “I’m not sure this is the one thing that people should focus on to put them over the edge about it,” the governor said.

He was instead more critical of the group of Democratic senators who voted for the deal, which included Sen. Dick Durbin, his own state's senior senator.

“We were winning,” said Pritzker, pointing to resounding Democratic wins in elections across the country last week. “I do not understand why people caved when we were on the verge of getting real change.”

Since Trump’s reelection, Pritzker — an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune — has been among the president's fiercest Democratic critics. On Wednesday, he described Trump as “a narcissist” and said he believed the president “has dementia.”

Pritzker's comments about Trump's use of the politics of distraction came as newly released documents reignited scrutiny of Trump’s relationship with Epstein. In a 2019 email to a journalist, Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls,” but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.

But few governors have witnessed Trump’s use of force as directly as Pritzker, who has seen federal agents descend on Chicago and its suburbs in recent months as part of “ Operation Midway Blitz.” More than 3,300 people suspected of immigration violations have been arrested since September, with some raids involving helicopters, tear gas and nighttime operations.

“This is part of the militarization of our American cities that Donald Trump is engaging in,” Pritzker said. “And it’s dangerous. It shouldn’t happen, but he’s got a purpose behind it. And it’s to affect our elections in 2026.”

Pritzker said the large immigration crackdown seen in Chicago would soon expand to other states, saying that he had spoken recently to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein after reports that the administration might send federal forces into Charlotte.

“I’m hoping that the pushback will finally lead them to ratchet down their efforts,” said Pritzker.