Chicago mayoral candidates attack Chuy Garcia as he leads in new poll

CHICAGO - Candidates at a mayoral forum on Chicago’s Northwest Side Tuesday night went after Congressman Chuy García after a newly released poll shows García emerging as the clear front-runner.

With Congress busy in Washington, García was there. But mayoral rivals in Chicago raised questions about a $200,000 independent expenditure benefiting García that was funded by now-indicted "King of Crypto" Sam Bankman-Fried.

"Shady contributions, whether it's Chuy Garcia or Lori Lightfoot, they're problematic," said Kam Buckner. "We gotta stop it."

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The Garcia campaign statement called the comments "desperate attacks from floundering campaigns," noting that by definition the congressman had no knowledge of or involvement in any independent political spending.

Garcia blasted the crypto industry Tuesday during a committee hearing he joined remotely from his congressional office.

"And when the hype runs out, these businesses failed, and ordinary investors, especially late comers … lose," Garcia said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot skipped the event, too, claiming a schedule conflict. She was blasted for it at the forum.