Eileen O’Neill Burke Campaign Says Political Insider Clayton Harris is Pushing a Disturbing Distortion of the Facts and the Law
Eileen O’Neill Burke Campaign Says Political Insider Clayton Harris is Pushing a Disturbing Distortion of the Facts and the Law (Chicago, IL) — Democratic candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney and Former Appellate Court Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke released the following statement today in response to the volley of attacks made by the campaign of her contender, Clayton Harris III:
“Political insider Clayton Harris’s latest smear falsely distorts the facts and the law. Harris’s misinformation campaign is a disturbing attempt to hide his record as a corporate lobbyist who denied workers’ rights and supported anti-choice politicians. Eileen O’Neill Burke exposed the truth here to make clear that voters have a stark choice: a qualified woman with 30 years of experience as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and judge or a political insider who most recently worked as an anti-union corporate lobbyist.
“Eileen is proud to have earned the strong support of more than a dozen labor unions, elected officials like Congressman Mike Quigley, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Representative Margaret Croke and Alders Pat Dowell and Monique Scott, leaders of the pro-choice community, and lawyers who have fought to protect people’s rights.
“Like bar associations across Cook County, they know Eileen O’Neill Burke is highly qualified and fair. Clayton Harris believes politicians are beholden to their donors because he’s a political insider and corporate lobbyist, and that’s how he plays the game. His suggestion that a woman with 30 years of experience on all sides of the criminal justice system would be influenced by anyone is insulting and sexist.”
“In addition to “Change” which is airing across broadcast and cable television, O’Neill Burke is also running a series of digital ads including “Anti-Choice” detailing Harris’s ties to anti-abortion Republicans.
“While serving as Chief of Staff to convicted former Governor and Trump supporter Rod Blagojevich, Clayton Harris contributed to anti-abortion radical Republican Ethan Hastert – who was running against a Democrat with a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood.
“As a top anti-union, corporate lobbyist from 2020 through 2022, Clayton Harris directed tens of thousands of dollars in political donations to anti-choice Republicans in Illinois. They even supported a candidate that a leading pro-choice group called, ‘the Most Anti-Woman Nominee to Ever Run for Illinois Governor.’
“Despite attempts to hide his role, a recently surfaced tax form reveals that in 2022, Clayton Harris was leading a well-funded, anti-union campaign to deny workers fair wages, worksite protections like bathroom breaks, and the fundamental right to form a union. According to the 990 tax filing, Clayton Harris was the Chair and President of the ‘Coalition for Independent Work’ campaign, where he led efforts to ensure workers were not treated as employees so they could be paid less than the minimum wage with no benefits.”
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