Chicago mayor responds to questions on $150K Lil Durk campaign donation after rapper's arrest

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson is responding Friday to questions about his connection to a Grammy Award-winning Chicago rapper charged in a murder-for-hire plot.

Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, made a $150,000 campaign donation to Mayor Johnson shortly after Johnson took office last year.

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What Johnson plans to do with the money remains unclear.

Johnson faced scrutiny Friday during a media availability about his connection to Banks.

The mayor said he knows few details about the murder-for-hire chargers Lil Durk is now facing, but noted the rapper's philanthropic work in the city.

"Lil Durk's mission to build financial literacy for children across the city, and making other critical investments for the children of the city is where his heart has been," Johnson said.

The rapper runs a Chicago-based charity, called Neighborhood Heroes, but he also operates a music company.

According to state records, in June of 2023, The Voice Touring LLC, which lists Banks as the manager, donated $150,000 to Mayor Johnson's campaign.

When asked if he should donate the money to charity, Johnson said, "I don't operate in feelings, you know, I operate in truth and justice. And I don't know all the circumstances around these accusations."

When pressed about Bank's donation, the mayor deferred once again.

"If you're asking me, if I should make a judgment on a Black man before a full trial has actually come to fruition, I hope you do understand why it is not my position to determine the outcome of someone's life," Johnson said.

Banks, through his charity work, has been connected to many well-known people in Chicago and elsewhere.

ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer said no one should jump to any conclusions.

"We're a long way from being able to judge whether there's any criminal exposure to political officials. Odds are that this case is focusing on this violent crime that's been charged, and all the rest is noise," Soffer said.

When pressed on the optics of keeping the donation, Johnson cut off ABC7 Chicago's Craig Wall, and he moved on to another question.