WATERLOO, Ill. – Republican candidate for Governor Paul Schimpf released the following statement in response to the Illinois Auditor General’s report on the Covid-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home:
“The news out of the Illinois’ Auditor’s Office is not just heartbreaking, but it shows how deep the systemic failures of our governor run in our state government. It’s unfathomable that the Illinois Department of Public Health let 36 honorable veterans die on their watch because of a lack of proper leadership. This comes back to our governor. This would not have happened under my watch. I was taught in the military that if you are in charge, you take responsibility. As a hands-on governor, my staff would’ve known to call me the minute the outbreak occurred. As a disengaged and out-of-touch governor, Pritzker wasn’t even called when 7 veterans died in the LaSalle home on Veterans Day. This is not the type of state leadership our veterans or residents deserve.
I stand with Illinois Auditor General in saying the IDPH should clearly define its role in the Veterans Home Covid outbreak.”
About Paul Schimpf: Paul Schimpf served as a State Senator for the 58th Senate District, is a Marine Corps Veteran who serviced in Iraq, and served as the chief American attorney advisor to Iraqi prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Paul and his family live in rural Monroe County.