News

Jim Oberweis calls on Rep. Lauren Underwood to defend the police

Aug. 14, 2020
For Immediate Release

Sugar Grove, IL – While State Senator and candidate for Congress in the 14th District, Jim Oberweis, has publicly called for federal help in stopping the rioting and looting in Chicago, Rep. Lauren Underwood by contrast continues her pattern of silence.

“Whenever there are tough issues to address, the one thing you can count on is Underwood’s unwillingness to go on the record and take a position, and the out of control riots in Chicago is just the latest example of Underwood staying silent on the big issues of concern to her constituents,” Oberweis said. “I attended several events on Monday and what was happening in Chicago was top of mind for everyone I encountered and yet Underwood continues to be silent. I have condemned the violence and urged federal involvement in stopping the riots. Where is Rep. Underwood? How hard is it to condemn looting and rioting?”

Oberweis noted that even Mayor Lori Lightfoot appears to have had enough.

“To our residents, I want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to restore your homes and businesses,” Lightfoot said in a press conference on Monday. “And to those who engage in that criminal behavior, let’s be clear, we are coming for you.”

The Underwood silence on the riots in Chicago continues a clear pattern behavior. Underwood has remained conspicuously silent and has refused to distance herself from House Speaker Michael Madigan, as other women in her party have led the way against the Madigan culture of corruption. Just this week, 53 Democrat office holders from across the state signed a letter calling on Madigan to resign. Underwood was not a signer of that letter.

Underwood has a long history of silence when it comes to Speaker Madigan. She walked away from a question on leaked emails from one of Madigan’s top confidants’ suggesting a rape had been covered up. Instead of answering the question, Underwood walked away in silence. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy4cwRI3Gag&feature=youtu.be).

She even has continued her partnership with the Madigan-run Democrat Party of Illinois to raise money for her campaign. The Lauren Underwood Victory Fund is a joint fundraising committee connected to the Democrat Party of Illinois, which is controlled by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

She also has not made any public statements on one of her former staffers, Hadiya Afzal, recently dropping out of her DuPage County Board race after tweeting a link to a video of police officers being attacked and remarking in the tweet she has “been watching this on repeat for 15 minutes and laughing every single time.”

“Underwood’s continued silence is an affront to the voters in the 14th Congressional District,” Oberweis said. “The voters deserve to know – does she stand with those who want to defund the police, or will she stand with me and the countless others in this district who want to defend the police? It is time for her to end her silence.”

To learn more about Jim Oberweis, log onto https://jim2020.com/.

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