CHICAGO (AP) – Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has largely avoided any discussion of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
That changed Monday, when Rauner directed harsh criticism at Trump for the vulgar remarks captured in a 2005 video, although he didn’t mention Trump’s name.
Speaking after participating in Chicago’s Columbus Day parade, Rauner said the rhetoric, the language, the statements in the video was, “disgusting, appalling, outrageous, beyond any reasonable bounds of decency.” He reiterated his refusal to back Trump.
Rauner skipped the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, during which Trump received the GOP presidential nomination.
Rauner’s hand-picked state GOP chairman, Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider, has not issued a formal public statement about Trump’s leaked comments. State GOP leaders haven’t responded to email requests for comment on Trump.