'He's got to go': Rauner, Trump bash Emanuel

Craig Wall Image
Friday, August 10, 2018
Trump, Rauner, Emanuel trade barbs

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police try to calm down the city's violence, President Trump and Governor Rauner are ratcheting up the rhetoric.

The first volley fired at Emanuel came Thursday morning, as governor Rauner called him corrupt. Speaking on a downstate radio station, Rauner claimed that Emanuel received $20 million from special interest groups.

"He's corrupt. He's part of the problem in Chicago," Rauner said. "Failure on jobs. Failure on taxes. He's got to go."

Adam Collins, a spokesman for the mayor, said Rauner's comments were "high praise" considering he was named the worst governor in America.

"He's wrapping up a term in which he achieved nothing other than gridlock, and I guess desperate times call for desperate rhetoric," Collins said.

Trump later laid the blame for the weekend's violence at Emanuel's feet.

"We must strengthen community bonds with law enforcement, including cities like Chicago, that have been absolute and total disaster," he said.

Despite the fact that police have been working to do just that, Trump blamed the mayor for all the shootings.

"That's bad stuff happening. And probably, I guess, you have to take it from the leadership, it's called bad leadership," he said. "There's no reason in a million years that something like that should be happening in Chicago."

Adam Collins responded to Trump's blows, saying the comments revealed what's really bothering the president.

"Bob Mueller's investigation and Paul Manafort's criminal trial must be getting to the president, but we're too busy working to continue reducing crime with police, community leaders, ministers and federal prosecutors to pay attention to his musings," he said.

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