Fioretti on Preckwinkle: 'doing political work with a taxpayer funded vehicle is a crime'

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle isn't saying much about an exclusive FOX 32 investigation into her security team.

But Preckwinkle's opponents have plenty to say.

One is calling for a federal investigation into our story about political materials found in Preckwinkle's abandoned county car.

"The IG is investigating this matter and we are always cooperating with the IG,” Preckwinkle said.

Carefully reading a prepared statement, Preckwinkle refused to say anything more about a FOX 32 investigation into a bizarre incident involving her security detail.

As we first reported on Tuesday, the brand new county-owned Chevy Tahoe used to transport Preckwinkle was found abandoned just after Election Day in 2016, stuck in a muddy ditch in Lemont Township with two flat tires.

Inside, sheriff's police found several bags stuffed with campaign materials, including political flyers, buttons and palm cards.

They also found a dry cleaning receipt with the name Delwin Gadlen, who is Preckwinkle's hand-picked chief of security making $124k a year.

On Wednesday, Bob Fioretti, who's running against Preckwinkle in the upcoming Democratic primary, sent a letter to the US Attorney's office asking for an investigation.

"Obviously doing political work with a taxpayer funded vehicle is a crime,” Fioretti said.

And some commissioners at today's county board meeting also sounded off.

"Very disturbing. No high ranking county official should ever be campaigning with county vehicles on county time,” Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin said.

Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard confirmed for us he is investigating the incident, but wouldn't say when that investigation would be complete.