Gov. JB Pritzker has retained a powerful Washington, D.C., law firm to help navigate dicey political waters ahead of a high-profile appearance before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday.
The billionaire governor is paying for the services of Covington & Burling out of his own pocket. Dana Remus, former White House counsel to President Joe Biden, is among those helping Pritzker prepare for Thursday’s Republican-led committee hearing about immigration policies. Republican attorneys at the firm are also providing counsel, according to a source with direct knowledge of his preparations.
Remus also led
vetting of Pritzker as a potential vice presidential candidate during Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign last year. Remus also served as Biden’s general counsel for his 2020 presidential campaign.
“The State retained outside counsel to provide additional expertise and capacity to respond to the committee’s requests and ensure the Governor’s Office can remain focused on delivering for the people of Illinois,” Pritzker spokesman Matt Hill said in a statement to the Sun-Times. “While Congressional Republicans are wasting taxpayer dollars all to find out that Illinois has always followed the law, Governor Pritzker is saving Illinois taxpayers by personally paying for the state’s cost of the committee’s inquiry.”
The governor’s office did not disclose how much the firm is being paid. But the city of Denver recently hired Covington & Burling, and Remus, as Denver Mayor Mike Johnston prepared for the committee’s March 5 hearing alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson. The Denver City Council approved the contract, with rates set at $595 to $1,000 an hour for attorneys at the firm — and capped at $2 million over a one-year period, according to Denver City Council records.
Covington & Burling is among the law firms being targeted by the Trump administration. In a February memo, Trump said he was suspending the clearances of those who advised former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal cases against Trump.
Although Democrats view the committee as a form of political theater, Pritzker’s team is aware any misstep could prompt a criminal investigation, an allegation of perjury or a wild goose chase for documents that could take up plenty of time.
Pritzker has been preparing for the testimony since last week, including a fair share of memos and briefings. He’s also spent time reviewing Johnson’s appearance — and he has spoken to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel about the committee, according to Emanuel.
The governor, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, can’t afford to make a misstep. He’s known for political punches in some of his government speeches, including in this year’s State of the State and budget address in which he
compared President Trump’s playbook to the rise of Nazi Germany.
But that type of political rhetoric will likely come from conservative firebrands on the committee, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Nancy Mace, R-S.C; and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Pritzker has said he’s prepared for grandstanding.
“Certainly, I’m not there to lecture to them. I’m there to take questions from them and respond to them. Presumably, the theory is that they’re having this hearing because they’d like to learn more about what we’re doing in the state,” Pritzker told reporters last week.
“I think there may be members on that committee who are simply there for a dog and pony show who simply want to grandstand in front of the cameras. I hope not. That’s inappropriate, and I’m going there in a serious matter to give them my views about how we’re managing through a problem that’s been created for the state by the federal government.”
Members of Pritzker’s team began arriving Sunday in Washington. The governor planned to arrive Monday to continue prep ahead of Thursday’s hearing.
Chief of staff Anne Caprara, Hill, who serves as deputy chief of staff for communications, consultant Jordan Abudayyeh, general counsel Ann Spillane and a deputy general counsel for the state are part of Pritzker’s team in Washington.
Pritzker, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, were summoned in March by U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, chairman of the congressional committee, to participate in the hearing about the Democratic states’ immigration policies.
Comer has accused the three states of “actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement,” an allegation Pritzker has denied. Pritzker has said Illinois is abiding by a state law that does not permit local law enforcement to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017 signed the Trust Act, which prohibits law enforcement throughout the state from collaborating with ICE. The city has a similar ordinance in place.
Johnson endured a
similar hearing in March alongside the mayors of fellow sanctuary cities Boston, New York and Denver.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is
running for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, is the only Illinois member on the committee. Pritzker is
backing his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton in the contested Senate race.
