{"id":2570703,"date":"2026-02-17T13:59:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-pritzkers-cousin-steps-down-from-family-business-over-epstein-ties\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:02:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:02:55","slug":"gov-pritzkers-cousin-steps-down-from-family-business-over-epstein-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-pritzkers-cousin-steps-down-from-family-business-over-epstein-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Pritzker&#8217;s Cousin Steps Down From Family Business Over Epstein Ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgov-pritzkers-cousin-steps-down-from-family-business-over-epstein-ties%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570703&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Thomas Pritzker,the Hyatt hotels <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/world-economic-forum-suspends-invitation-to-president-trump-from-future-conferences-opens-this-years-globalist-fest-with-chinese-leader-xi-jinping\/\" title=\"World Economic Forum Suspends Invitation to President Trump from Future Conferences \u2013 Opens This Year\u2019s Globalist Fest with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping\">executive chairman<\/a> and cousin of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, resigned from Hyatt amid disclosures of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The Department of Justice released nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spiderhack-what-we-learned-from-the-sony-insomniac-leak\/\" title=\"Key takeaways from the Sony Insomniac leak at Spiderhack\">3 million files<\/a> on February 1 that show Pritzker frequently kept in touch with Epstein in the years after Epstein\u2019s 2008 plea deal related to prostitution charges. In a letter to Hyatt\u2019s board, Pritzker said he deeply regrets any association with Epstein or Maxwell, and he announced he would not seek reelection at Hyatt\u2019s upcoming stockholders\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fed-found-economy-is-recovering-much-faster-than-officials-expected\/\" title=\"Fed Found Economy Is Recovering Much Faster Than Officials Expected\">meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Times reported details of Pritzker and Epstein\u2019s interactions, including plans for meals and appointments at Epstein\u2019s Manhattan townhouse, and Epstein\u2019s attempts in 2018 to involve Pritzker in arranging a trip for his girlfriend. The files also mention other notable connections, such as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former White House adviser Steve Bannon, and a photograph of Prince Andrew, as well as an unsent claim involving Bill Gates\u2014claims Gates has denied. The article notes the content is published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Thomas Pritzker, the cousin of Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, stepped down as executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation on Monday over his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) released nearly 3 million files on Feb. 1 which included information that Pritzker frequently kept in contact with Epstein in the years following his 2008 plea deal related to his 2006 prostitution charges.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker sent a letter to the board announcing his departure and said he deeply regrets having any association with Epstein or his former business partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/16\/us\/politics\/tom-pritzker-hyatt-epstein.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret,&rdquo; Pritzker wrote, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Bloomberg: Hyatt Hotels billionaire Executive Chairman Tom Pritzker resigns, citing association with Epstein<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Travis Akers &#127482;&#127480; (@travisakers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/travisakers\/status\/2023511382759796864?\">February 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\")); 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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Pritzker and Epstein repeatedly corresponded to plan meals and appointments, including at Epstein&rsquo;s Manhattan townhouse, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Epstein asked Pritzker over  to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange a trip to Southeast Asia so she could &ldquo;find a new girlfriend&rdquo; for Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>When Shuliak replied what she planned to do on the trip, Pritzker replied with a smiley-face emoji and said, &ldquo;May the force be with you,&rdquo; according to the Times.<\/p>\n<p>In another  from 2015, Epstein joked to Pritzker about combining their plans and also discussed their invitations to a ceremony to the Pulitzer Prizes.<\/p>\n<p>Epstein was first indicted on prostitution charges in 2006 following an investigation that began in March 2005 into his inappropriate conduct with the teenage girl in question.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker also told the board he would not seek reelection at the annual stockholders meeting in May, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker&rsquo;s cousin, the&nbsp;Illinois governor, has an estimated<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world-nation\/story\/2025-10-16\/billionaire-illinois-gov-pritzker-wins-blackjack-pot-of-1-4m-in-las-vegas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$3.9 billion net worth<\/a> largely from the family&rsquo;s business and has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p>He has resisted President Donald Trump&rsquo;s efforts to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and has fought against the Trump administration&rsquo;s immigration enforcement agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The files also showed that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick interacted with Epstein on at least two occasions between 2011 and 2012, which included a lunch on a boat while the Lutnicks were on vacation.<\/p>\n<p>They also found correspondence between Epstein and former White House adviser Steve Bannon between 2018 and 2019 and a photograph of former Prince Andrew kneeling on all fours over a woman.<\/p>\n<p>Epstein also alleged in an unsent  that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease from a Russian hooker and sought to secretly give his then-wife, Melinda, treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Gates denied ever going to Epstein&rsquo;s island or meeting with any women.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt Hotels\u2019 executive chairman and cousin of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, resigned from Hyatt over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.<br \/>\n&#8211; The Department of Justice released about 3 million files on February 1, showing that Pritzker kept in touch with Epstein for years after Epstein\u2019s 2008 plea deal related to 2006 prostitution charges.<br \/>\n&#8211; Pritzker told Hyatt\u2019s board he deeply regretted any association with Epstein or Epstein\u2019s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, and said good stewardship requires protecting Hyatt.<br \/>\n&#8211; News outlets reported that Pritzker and Epstein corresponded about meals and scheduling, including meetings at Epstein\u2019s Manhattan townhouse.<br \/>\n&#8211; In 2018, Epstein asked Pritzker to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, visit Southeast Asia to \u201cfind a new girlfriend\u201d for Epstein; Pritzker replied with a smiley emoji and said, \u201cMay the force be with you.\u201d<br \/>\n&#8211; A 2015 note suggested Epstein and Pritzker might combine their plans and discussed invitations to a Pulitzer Prizes ceremony.<br \/>\n&#8211; Epstein was first indicted in 2006 after an investigation into his conduct with a teenage girl; Pritzker also announced he would not seek reelection at Hyatt\u2019s May stockholders meeting.<br \/>\n&#8211; The Pritzker family\u2019s Illinois governor has an estimated net worth around $3.9 billion and has been mentioned as a possible 2028 presidential candidate; he opposed Trump-era moves to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and resisted the administration\u2019s immigration policies.<br \/>\n&#8211; The released files also mention other Epstein associations, including:<br \/>\n  &#8211; Howard Lutnick (listed as Commerce Secretary in the report) interacting with Epstein at least twice between 2011 and 2012, including a boat lunch.<br \/>\n  &#8211; Correspondence between Epstein and former White House adviser Steve Bannon (2018\u20132019) and a photo of Prince Andrew with a woman.<br \/>\n  &#8211; An unsent note alleging Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease from a Russian sex worker and sought secret treatment for his wife Melinda; Gates denied ever visiting Epstein\u2019s island or meeting Epstein\u2019s women<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-705.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[73960,9006,73961,20657,73907],"class_list":["post-2570703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cousin-2","tag-epstein","tag-family-business-2","tag-pritzker","tag-stepping-down-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-705.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570703"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570707,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570703\/revisions\/2570707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}