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AM 560 The Answer’s Dan Proft Accused of Breaking Illinois Campaign Finance Laws

“Mr. Proft appears to have again completely disregarded the (law).”

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A report from the Chicago Tribune claims the Illinois Democratic Party filed a complaint with the state board of elections alleging that AM 560 The Answer morning host Dan Proft failed to disclose $1.2 million in contributions to his political action committee.

People Who Play By The Rules — the PAC formed and operated by Proft — spent tens of millions to prop up Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey in the 2022 Illinois governor race.

The complaint filed by the Illinois Democrats alleges that Proft committed “one of his most egregious” violations by failing to share the committee’s financial records.

“Mr. Proft is keenly aware of the disclosure requirements found in the (law),” the complaint read. “He has served as the chair and treasurer of several political committees spanning more than a decade and has been the subject of multiple matters before this board. And yet, Mr. Proft appears to have again completely disregarded the (law).”

The campaign finance reports shown by the committee show a deficit of $1.2 million, claiming it spent $18.6 million while only raising $17.4 million.

“While a PAC can incur more in obligated expenditures than it receives in contributions (as long as it properly discloses the debt), it cannot expend more funds than it receives in contributions unless it has received a loan or other receipts,” the complaint continued.

According to the Tribune, Illinois state election law requires campaign finance records to include the names and mailing addresses of everyone who contributes more than $150, with contributions of $1,000 or more requiring a report within five days.

The newest charge is the latest in a string filed against Proft. Just before the 2022 election, the state Democratic Party alleged the PAC operated by Proft violated election laws by coordinating directly with Bailey. Proft is also accused of sending items through the mail that mimicked newspapers that included material labeled as “disinformation” about incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

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Tim Conway Jr.: Social Media Quickens the News Cycle for Stories Like the Baltimore Bridge

“A good buddy of mine, he sent me that literally about 40 minutes after it happened. The video and the story. That’s crazy.”

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A photo of Tim Conway Jr. and the KFI AM-640 logo
(Photo: KFI AM-640)

Social media video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing in the Baltimore harbor made the rounds Tuesday morning. KFI AM-640 host Tim Conway Jr. believes the way we learned about the tragedy shapes the coverage surrounding it.

While discussing the happenings with KFI reporter Steve Gregory, who has a long history of covering breaking news events, Conway Jr. noted that not only did social media help confirm the validity of the story, but seeing the images spread so quickly shined a spotlight on how fast the news cycle moves now.

“What a great advantage of having Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and then TikTok, all these social media is when something like that happens you know, because it happens so late we would have not ever heard about it or seen anything until the morning news,” said Conway Jr.

“But now with social media you instantly know. A good buddy of mine, he sent me that literally about 40 minutes after it happened. The video and the story. That’s crazy.”

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Michael Riedel: Once You Start Talking About People’s Personal Lives, There’s No Going Back

“If you go down that path, then you’re headed towards National Enquirer territory and as a journalist, you can never really come back from that.”

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A photo of Michael Riedel and the 710 WOR logo
(Photo: 710 WOR)

710 WOR morning host Michael Riedel got spent years working as a Broadway reporter and columnist before shifting to the New York news/talker. He has one guiding principle for the radio show that he has kept from his writing days.

Riedel was discussing his previous role at the New York Post with colleague Mark Simone on his midday program and said there are just some things you shouldn’t talk about.

“I got all the backstage stories when I was writing the column about Broadway for the New York Post. You know, celebrities, the leading lady fighting with the producer, lawsuits,” Riedel shared. “But I always drew the line at people’s private lives. Because I thought if you go down that path, then you’re headed towards National Enquirer territory and as a journalist, you can never really come back from that.

“If somebody filed a sexual harassment suit against somebody, I covered those. That’s fine. I mean, as soon as a suit is filed, it’s a matter of public record. I could get into it, but I never got into who’s sleeping with whom and who’s doing this thing. Not to say I didn’t know, and I loved hearing about it, but I drew the line at people’s personal lives when I wrote about them.”

Simone joked that he admired Riedel’s ability to converse with celebrities and know “exactly what that guy would be fascinated by.”

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Howie Carr: MSNBC Hosts Have Too Many Skeletons in Closet to Criticize Ronna McDaniel

“Al Sharpton…is he offended? Brian Williams? Is he still ’emeritus,’ right? How about all the Dateline NBC people who put the bomb in the truck? Mike Barnicle? Is he offended?”

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(Photo: The Howie Carr Show)

NBC News, MSNBC, and Ronna McDaniel have been at the forefront of the news media cycle after her hiring and subsequent removal from the network. Howie Carr believes the entire ordeal is an exercise in hypocrisy.

During The Howie Carr Show, the Boston-based host shared his belief that the reaction from MSNBC hosts like Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell about the hiring of McDaniel reeks of dishonesty.

“Talk about hypocrisy here. NBC is now claiming to be journalists? They’re offended by Rhonda McDaniel, because she makes stuff up,” said Carr.

“Al Sharpton…is he offended? Brian Williams? Is he still ’emeritus,’ right? How about all the Dateline NBC people who put the bomb in the truck? Mike Barnicle? Is he offended? Chuck Todd, former coat-holder for Tom Harkin whose wife made millions working for Bernie Sanders, another very upstanding statesman.

“Joy Reid, who was caught with all the anti-gay, believe anti-Muslim tweets, too? She said she was hacked by a time traveler and asked the FBI to investigate it. And Lawrence O’Donnell, the guy who made up the Deutsche Bank thing that had to apologize? Rachel Maddow, who group came up with Trump’s income taxes return like it was a big scoop and had already put it in a book 20 years earlier? Did Joe Scarborough denounced him from his old congressional office in Fort Walton Beach, Florida where they found a dead girl? They’re appalled by Ronna McDaniel. Appalled.”

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