Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told former White House Press Secretary and MSNBC host Jen Psaki that he is being tipped off on Trump’s plans to send troops and federal agents to Chicago by people in the Trump Administration and the military “who have let us know things without, you know, having permission to do so.”
“I would call some of that rumor, but, you know, well sourced rumors,” he said.
This comes as President Trump plans federal law enforcement operations and potential National Guard deployment in the Windy City after at least 14 were killed and nearly 100 injured in shootings over the last two weekends.
It was revealed last week that 200 Homeland Security Officials will be deployed in Chicago as soon as this week and will potentially stay for the entire month of September.
The enforcement operations will be centered on arresting illegal aliens in the sanctuary state of Illinois, but the National Guard could be used to quell violent rioters, as done in Los Angeles, or to deter crime, as we are seeing in Washington, DC.
Trump may also send in the National Guard to stop the public safety emergency.
“If the governor of Illinois would call me up, I would love to do it. Now, we’re going to do it anyway,” the President told reporters earlier this week when asked if he had “decided to definitely send National Guard troops to Chicago.”
Pritzker responded to the ICE operations in Chicago and laughably called the actions an invasion of Chicago while pretending that the Administration is doing it all in secret, despite President Trump clearly outlining his plan to go into Chicago almost every day while speaking to reporters. "We think there are about 300 agents that may be at Great Lakes and preparing to invade the communities around Chicago," Pritzker said.
He further said the Trump Administration may "send National Guard from another state or from my state into neighborhoods in Chicago."
WATCH:
Psaki: There's also been reporting that the Defense Department has approved using a nearby naval base north of the city as a staging area for ICE. So, that is not separate. It's all connected to— and possibly to have that as a place where federal troops are. Do you have any sense even of the scope of the ice operation they're playing?
Pritzker: Not from ICE. We're getting, again, it's all secondhand, third hand— there are a lot of patriotic Americans who work in the administration or work at the departments, or in the military, who have let us know things without, you know, having permission to do so. And so I would call some of that rumor, but, you know, well sourced rumors.
We also know, because Great Lakes Naval Base, which is where they're stationing themselves, is in North Chicago, and so the North Chicago local police and local elected officials have at least some information. So, look, I don't have a lot to share with the public. Whatever I have heard, I have shared with the public, because I think everybody should know, despite the fact the federal government would like them not to know, apparently. So, we think there are about 300 agents that may be at Great Lakes and preparing to invade the communities around Chicago, like Little Village, like Pilsen, perhaps beginning early morning tomorrow.
