Chicago City Wire

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, a Democrat, reportedly declined an invitation to debate against Republican challenger Pat O’Brien, characterizing him as "Trump-like."

O’Brien, a former judge, has been calling for Foxx's removal since he filed nominating paperwork on Dec. 2, 2019.

“We learned during the recent Ed board interviews, that the State’s Attorney participated in with Mr. O’Brien, that he will instead use the time for Trump-like name-calling and fear-mongering,” Foxx’s spokeswoman Alex Sims told the Chicago Tribune. “During this nationwide crisis, (Foxx] will not sit across the stage from a Republican that exploits tragedy to win a campaign. Voters deserve better.”

O’Brien told the Chicago City Wire that he finds the "Trump-like" label a little strange.

“I was a lifelong Democrat,” said O’Brien, who served as Cook County Circuit Court judge for eight years. “I ran as a Democrat for judge and I've got a 45-year history as an attorney where, in terms of my behavior, it never came up that I was in any way insensitive or inappropriate. If anything, the only person that has been called to have made false representations to the public is her and that was by Dan Webb in the Jussie Smollett case.”

Dan Webb is the special prosecutor who released the summary of a report that explored Foxx's conduct and the alleged mishandling of charges against Smollett. Smollett, a Hollywood actor, complained to police that he’d been attacked in Chicago by supporters of President Trump, but was subsequently arrested for allegedly staging the crime, as previously reported.

The debate invite came from ABC 7 Chicago, the League of Women Voters of Cook County and Univision Chicago.

“Kim Foxx’s unwillingness to participate hinders the ability of the voting public to see us answer questions, respond to each other and discuss the issues,” O’Brien said. “So, more than just my campaign, I think it harms the ability of voters to make an informed decision.”

O’Brien predicted that he will be victorious in unseating Foxx on Nov. 3.

“I think she misjudges the public,” he said. “She thinks because she has a D by her name and I have an R by my name that the public will unthinkingly just keep on marking the D but this is a separate race. It's gotten a lot of attention. She's made mistakes, which are public, and voters see through that. They are not going to give her a second term. They are going to vote me in.”