LaHood: Gotion's Human Rights Violations Should Stop Taxpayer Subsidy
Congressman Darin LaHood questions a witness in February 2023. (Photo credit: Reuters)
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Republican Congressman Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) says a Chinese company aiming to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Kankakee County uses slave labor and should not receive Illinois taxpayer funds to locate in the state.
LaHood sits on a congressional panel aimed at investigating the Chinese Communist Party. He co-signed a letter earlier this month alleging Gotion uses slave labor at its plants in China and has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Gotion has secured around $500 million in tax incentives from the state government to build the EV battery plant at a site in Manteno, located about 50-miles south of the Chicago Loop.
“If [Gotion] wants to come in as a private company, that’s fine, but they’re not that,” LaHood said on this week’s The Illinoize podcast. “When you couple that with the fact that Governor Pritzker wants to spend taxpayer money to subsidize this company in the state of Illinois. I’m all for the free market, but not when they’re affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.”
LaHood continued to vehemently defend former President Donald Trump, calling a New York criminal case in which Trump was convicted of 34 felonies a politically motivated prosecution.
We asked LaHood if Trump’s ongoing criminal troubles, including a classified documents case in Florida, an election interference charge in Georgia, and a potential January 6 case, would hurt Republicans in November.
“I think people are focused on the issues that matter to them,” LaHood said. “All of these cases existed throughout the Republican primary. While these cases were in the background, whether they were federal cases or state cases, those allegations were out there and they didn’t effect voters.”
We recorded our conversation with LaHood Thursday before the presidential debate. But in a statement Friday, he attacked President Biden as “not capable” of remaining president.
"President Joe Biden’s performance at last night’s debate made clear that he is not capable of serving another term in office,” LaHood said. “From the border crisis to inflation and weak leadership on the global stage, the Biden presidency has been a failure. No matter how hard Governor JB Pritzker and Biden’s allies try to spin last night’s debate, the American people saw a deep contrast of vision for the future of our country. President Donald Trump is the only candidate who can restore a prosperous America."
LaHood called former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s endorsement of Biden this week “pathetic.”
Here’s the video version of our podcast with LaHood: