State senator compares Gov. Rauner to ‘ISIS warrior’

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois state senator who previously apologized for inflammatory comments has compared Gov. Bruce Rauner to an Islamic State “warrior” following the Republican’s budget address.

Sen. Donne Trotter said Wednesday Rauner has proposed a “slash-and-burn budget.” The Chicago Democrat says Rauner acted “as if he was an ISIS warrior fighting a battle, not against the state of Illinois but against the people of Illinois.”

Rauner spokesman Lance Trover says the administration welcomes dialogue with legislators. But he’s urging lawmakers “to refrain from over the top rhetoric that demeans the process.”

Trotter apologized in 2013 for likening a member of former Gov. Pat Quinn’s cabinet and daughter of a Holocaust survivor to a Nazi.

Trotter declined to comment when asked later Wednesday about the ISIS comparison.