Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter
@Williamjkelly • 56,809 subscribers
Veteran Chicago reporter. Despised by Mayors Johnson, Lightfoot . Emmy-award winning. Subscribe: https://t.co/2yTTvVRXhu Please credit for use of video
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🚨RAW VIDEO: Mayor Johnson had two yes-or-no questions today. He couldn't answer either one. Watch. His buddy Hasan Piker is on tape saying he wants immigrants brought here to rape American women and their daughters. I asked Johnson point blank: will you distance yourself from him? "I'm not aware of such comments." Sure you're not. Then I asked about CPD resources burned on his personal security in Martha's Vineyard — while 17 people got shot and 4 died back home in his city. Was that a good use of your time, Mr. Mayor? Nothing. Not a word. Just a lecture nobody asked for. A mayor who can't condemn rape rhetoric and can't defend his own vacation isn't dodging two questions. He's dodging the job. Chicago is bleeding and he's got no answers. Only excuses. ⚡ WATCH HIM SQUIRM. THEN ASK YOURSELF WHY.🚨
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter184,982 Aufrufe • vor 6 Tagen
Well, at least we know where Mayor Brandon Johnson was this weekend and what he was doing while 17 Chicagoans were shot, four killed, including one person near Johnson's home in Austin...He was .dancing (badly) in Martha's Vineyard. 🕺
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter178,393 Aufrufe • vor 8 Tagen
🚨 RAW VIDEO from today’s presser with Mayor Brandon Johnson after weeks of hiding from the press, then he attacks Pres. Trump. I asked: "Mayor Johnson, you went to Rome with 40+ people. We still don't know who paid for that." "We don't know what benefits to the City of Chicago have been derived from that. Real Chicagoans are very upset." I asked whether the hundreds of millions he spent on illegal aliens were more valuable to Chicago than the Bears and the revenue they generate. Word salad is what I got for an answer. Then, for the second question, I asked whether he and his wife, Stacy, would deploy some of their 150+ CPD command staff officers to help keep Chicagoans safe ahead of Juneteenth. Then he got defensive and lashed out at Trump. Mayor Johnson called Pres. Trump "an absolute miserable failure and a disappointment to this country." So I asked: "Why don't you work with President Trump?" Johnson's response? "He needs to work with me." Wow. So Mayor Johnson thinks that he, of all people, is above the President of the United States. Does Pres. Trump even spend a second thinking about Brandon Johnson? I doubt it. Who paid for the Rome trip? And what did Johnson bring back besides excuses? WATCH 👇
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter595,675 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
RAW VIDEO: From today’s presser with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Outrage is exploding across Chicago over the murder of Loyola freshman Sheridan Gorman. A young woman is dead. Her family is grieving. This city is demanding answers. Today I asked the Mayor a simple question: After saying Chicago is safe, will you apologize to Sheridan Gorman's family? He refused — and got angry that it was even asked. Then his staff tried to shut me down. This isn’t the first time I’ve asked him about other violent crimes involving illegal aliens. Same response: no answers. Dismissive. Tone deaf. Mayor Johnson has still yet to issue a statement on Sheridan's death. Governor Pritzker didn’t issue one either — until he was forced to. Meanwhile, Johnson has spentmillions of Chicago taxpayer dollars on illegal aliens in Chicago — but when tragedy hits home, the silence is deafening. No apology. No answers. No accountability. Chicago is outraged — and demanding better.
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter1,204,215 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
🚨 HEY, CITY HALL: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE $13.5 MILLION? FLASHBACK: Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a $13.5 MILLION TIF grant to help renovate six Yellow Banana-operated Save A Lots on Chicago’s South and West Sides. I questioned her spending: “I can totally understand why you would think another $100 million in grants would buy you the votes necessary to win reelection.” She called me “right wing” and threatened to cut my mic. Chicago voters fired her. Now seven Yellow Banana-operated Save A Lots are closed—and Brandon Johnson has explored putting City Hall itself in the grocery business. Only in Chicago: taxpayers supply the green, neighborhoods lose the groceries, and City Hall serves another word salad. So, Mayor Johnson: What happened to that $13.5 million TIF grant—and how much can taxpayers get back? #ThatReporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter112,610 Aufrufe • vor 19 Tagen
Something really strange just happened. Chicago Mayor Johnson's presser was abruptly canceled today and his communications director Erin Connelly (wearing the mask) looks freaked out. I'll find out and report what's up. #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter882,485 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
RAW VIDEO: I Cornered Pritzker About The Chicago Bears — And He Refused To Answer 🚨 I went to Gov. Pritzker's presser today and here's what happened: Gov. Pritzker said he didn't want taxpayers spending billions to help a billionaire family keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago. But he's a billionaire himself. 💰 And he's been more than happy — even proud — to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on illegal aliens. So I asked him: "We all know the Bears generate revenue. Illegal aliens typically are a drain on taxpayer dollars. Do you think long-term, especially when you're running for President of the United States, losing the Chicago Bears will be a bad decision?" Pritzker refused to answer. Instead, he blamed Greg Abbott and defended spending billions on illegal aliens. So I followed up: "Would those taxpayer dollars have been better spent on American citizens?" Pritzker refused to answer that, too. When a governor can't answer a straight question from a reporter, taxpayers should ask themselves why. #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter346,331 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
🚨 FLASHBACK: I called it. Bally's River North would fail. Lightfoot called me "full of crap." I stood up and asked her the question Chicago deserved answered. Why ram through a casino most of the neighborhood didn't even want? Why promise it would revive tourism and conventions when violent crime — not the lack of a casino — was keeping people away? She had no answer. So she attacked. Called my questions "lies." Snapped "you're full of crap" on camera. Threatened to have police drag me out of her own press conference. And on camera, her press secretary called me "an animal." Bally's has failed to meet expectations since the day it opened. It just skipped its own earnings call. It couldn't deliver the jobs, the revenue, or the "revival" Lightfoot sold Chicago on. So what did Bally's do? Hired Lightfoot's law firm. To sue the city. Over legal video gambling terminals — because Bally's can't compete without a monopoly. And Johnson? He's not fixing Lightfoot's failure. He's protecting it. Pushing to repeal that same legalization to hand Bally's the exclusivity it never earned. He still doesn't have the votes. A failing casino. Two mayors covering for it. And Chicagoans still waiting on the answers they tried to shut down. What a pair - Johnson and Lightfoot. 🎥 Watch the flashback. #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter215,501 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
⚡ RAW VIDEO: “Answer as a Man” — Kelly Confronts Mayor Johnson ⚡ At today’s presser, I asked Mayor Johnson what real Chicagoans are asking: how can you call law enforcement “a sickness” while you hide behind 150 sworn CPD officers? And if you and your wife Stacey were ever attacked — shot at, rammed by a protester vehicle — would you order your police detail to stand down? He really didn't like that question. Then I asked him a question that infuriated him and his staff and they tried to shut me down: Last month, a Nicaraguan illegal alien bashed a Chicago woman’s head into the sidewalk, knocked her unconscious, and raped her. So I asked Mayor Johnson: if that victim had been your wife Stacey, would you want ICE to deport that rapist? Yes or no? His answer? He wouldn’t say yes. So I said it for him: “No? OK, that’s the answer. That’s the answer for real Chicagoans.” That's not an answer a real man or a real mayor would give - that's the opinion of this reporter.
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter999,196 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten
This is what has been happening all night at Columbus and Illinois Street. Hundreds of teens and young adults. Heavy police presence including at least 8 squad cars. All it took was warm weather. What will happen when the DNC Convention is here in August and police are diverted to the United Center? Kim Foxx now says she'll prosecute DNC protesters she just won't prosecute criminal defendants? #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter2,349,143 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
🚨 RAW Video from today's presser with Gov. JB Pritzker: Chicago's legacy media have already forgotten about Sheridan Gorman. So has the Governor. So I reminded him. "Do you remember the name Sheridan Gorman?" "She was killed by a suspect, an illegal alien who would not have been in this country or even on the streets, but for your SAFE-T Act." The Governor talked against Trump. He talked about the Lankford bill. He talked about comprehensive immigration reform. He did not talk about Sheridan Gorman. He won't even mention Katie Abraham. So I pushed harder. "What do you have to say just to the family of Sheridan Gorman? Do you have anything to say?" His first instinct? My camera. "I know you're holding your camera up… I see a lot of cameras here." "To be clear, Reporters have cameras, Governor." He finally got there: "This is an awful tragedy." And even conceded: "This man was a murderer. There's no doubt about it." So I asked the only question that matters: "Why was he in the country?" No direct answer. Both men were free on this Governor's watch. And he still won't say their victims' names. 🕯️🕯️
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter342,455 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
RAW VIDEO: “COWARD!” — Watch My Relentless Line of Questioning At today’s presser, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to duck my questions AGAIN. I told him: “Last week I asked you about the Nicaraguan illegal who beat a Chicago woman unconscious and raped her on a sidewalk—you didn’t answer. Millions shared my video, millions called you a coward. DHS shared it too—millions more views—and called you a coward for hiding behind 150 sworn CPD officers.” Then I asked again: “If that had been your wife Stacy, would you allow ICE to remove this violent offender? Yes or no?” He snapped: “Invoking the name of my wife is out of bounds… intentional provocation… reprehensible.” I fired back: “OK—what if that woman who was beaten and raped was somebody’s wife who didn’t have your 150-officer detail? What would you say to her and her husband today? Do you have anything to say to the victim?” He mumbled: “Any individual that commits a crime should be held accountable.” I pressed: “Will you turn him over to ICE?” He dodged: “Thank you… back to the budget.” I said it loud: “WHAT A COWARD.” He still won’t answer. I still won’t stop.
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter659,218 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten
In Chicago, the mayor’s first job is simple: keep the streets safe. Snow, cold, or a wind chill of –35°? That’s winter in Chicago, not an excuse. Plows don’t get snow days, and neither should da mayor. Chicago history is clear: mayors have been fired for not plowing the streets. is here to remind public officials who they work for. We educate, we organize, and we get Chicagoans registered and ready to vote—because yelling at the TV never got a street plowed. Join the movement to Save Chicago Now. Head to to register, chip in what you can, and help get Chicago moving again. #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter423,706 Aufrufe • vor 7 Monaten
A big thank you to Daily Caller for reporting on my tough questions to Mayor Brandon Johnson about his unpaid city bills and the water-and-sewer charges tied to him and Stacy Gates — at a moment when Johnson already has egg on his face after losing the budget fight and refusing to sign the budget he just lost, a move that’s drawn criticism across City Hall.
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter474,007 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
🚨 RAW VIDEO: Reporter William J. Kelly grills Brandon Johnson over apologizing to Officer Bartholomew’s family. At today’s presser, I confronted the mayor over his past anti-police rhetoric, including calling law enforcement “a sickness,” and other policies in light of the murder of Officer Bartholomew. I asked: “Given your past calls to defund the police, your hiring of individuals with controversial anti-police rhetoric to high-paying positions, and your statements describing the incarceration of violent repeat offenders as racist, would you take this opportunity to apologize to the family of Officer Bartholomew?” Officer Bartholomew’s alleged killer is a convicted criminal with 20 felonies who had been released prior to the attack, and Johnson says incarceration is racist. His answer: “I don't agree with not only your premise but even your characterization…” No apology. “OK, so you won't apologize to the family of Officer Bartholomew just as you refuse to apologize to the family of Bethany McGee…” No answer. “So you will not apologize.” “Next question, please.”
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter200,995 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
🚫 Today I Was Blocked From Covering Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson's press conference - That’s Not Democracy. Here’s the raw video of Gov. JB Pritzker’s staff denying me media access to his press conference with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson this afternoon — for no reason and with no explanation other than I wasn’t “on the list.” I’ve attended and questioned Gov. Pritzker before, and I’ve been a credentialed reporter in Chicago for more than a decade. This is a textbook First Amendment violation. The Governor’s staff even threatened to have me thrown out of the building by State Police. 🚔 And let’s be clear: this press conference was staged. It wasn’t just about condemning Trump’s Border Patrol deployment to Chicago — it was about Pritzker and Johnson surrounding themselves with friendly reporters who would stick to their talking points. Pritzker is planning a White House run, and he can’t have #ThatReporter asking tough questions. Silencing me is silencing the public. #FreePress #FirstAmendment #ThatReporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter390,095 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten
Take away his mic!" That’s what Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson snapped at his press secretary before turning his anger on me. Then he got right in my face: "Don’t ever interrupt me again," he threatened. He was fired up the second he saw me yesterday—still pissed off about my video last week on his well-paid anti-police staff including Kennedy Bartley. He didn’t like the questions, and he made damn sure I couldn’t ask more. Cut me off four times, and twice he threatened me. But I’ve got the full video for you to judge for yourself and see if you agree with him that crime in Chicago is down. It’s the same tired line we heard from Lightfoot. I brought up the murder of 18-year-old Jess Kendall near the United Center on Sunday, the site of the DNC Convention. His response? Barely even touched it. Then I pressed him if he and his wife are going to reduce their 200+ police officer security detail—while the city’s down 2,000 cops. And as usual, he filibustered me with double talk. City Hall was more hostile than usual. #thatreporter
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter619,707 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🚨 RAW VIDEO: Mayor Johnson calls me "anti-Black" after I ask him to say the name Sheridan Gorman. Today I asked Mayor Johnson about the new University of Chicago poll showing 60% of Chicagoans don't want him to run for reelection. I then asked whether he had "even two decent words" for the parents of Sheridan Gorman, who was murdered. Jose Medina, an illegal immigrant, has been charged with the crime. Then I asked the mayor to say her name. He refused. This is the same mayor who held a press conference to unveil a City snowplow named "Abolish ICE." But he wouldn't say Sheridan Gorman. I then asked whether his next police superintendent would have to embrace his view that law enforcement is "a sickness" and incarceration is racist to be appointed. Mayor Johnson shot back that I was accusing him of being anti-law enforcement. That's when things escalated. Mayor Johnson cut me off, raised his voice, and snapped: "Your behavior is anti-Black. Knock it off." I didn't know asking a mayor to say the name of a murder victim was "anti-Black." That's why 60% of Chicagoans don't want him to run for reelection.
Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter53,873 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat