Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) is facing accusations of cronyism and financially profiting from the coronavirus pandemic after it has been revealed that his family owns stake in at least two companies currently working on coronavirus testing, according to Fox News.
The Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Tim Schneider, released a statement pointing out that Pritzker’s family firm, Pritzker Group, “controls the companies that are making millions off the pandemic…Governor Pritzker and his family are clearly profiting off the COVID-19 crisis, and it’s appalling.”
The Pritzker Group owns stake in two such companies: It has previously invested in the “anatomic, clinical, and molecular pathology company” PathGroup, and had also sent funding to Cue Health, a “health care technology company.” Both companies have been developing testing technology for the virus in recent weeks. Cue Health had also received a $13 million contract from the federal government for their testing work.0
Pritzker’s campaign had released a statement shortly after his election claiming that Pritzker had “given up as much control and knowledge of these trusts as is possible under the law” by putting his share of the company into a blind trust, while also attempting to justify such stake as ultimately being in compliance with state law.