Pritzker says Illinois won’t hire Jan. 6 rioters

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has blocked anyone who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in state government, a move that looks to undermine President Donald Trump doling out hundreds of pardons at the start of his term.

In a letter obtained by POLITICO, the Democratic governor directed the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, which oversees hiring for state government, to apply state code in hiring individuals who were involved in the riot.

“No one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government,” Pritzker wrote to Director Raven DeVaughn, calling the acts “disgraceful conduct that is antithetical to the mission of the state.”

A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on the letter. NBC News first reported the directive.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed most Americans disapprove of Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 participants, some of whom attacked police officers.

Pritzker is a longtime critic of Trump, going back to the president’s first-term handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Illinois governor was among those considered as a running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and is seen as a possible 2028 contender. He has continued to be outspoken in pushing back against Trump at a time when others in his party are grappling with how to move forward.

On Thursday, Pritzker called Trump “unfit to lead” in a crisis after the president’s comments blaming diversity policies for the midair crash that left 67 passengers dead near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.