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Kankakee County Democratic Chairman Compared MAGA Hats to KKK Hoods

AP Photo/Butch Dill
Oliver Lester, of Montgomery, wears a hat with President President Donald Trump's campaign slogan as he watches results come in for Gov. Kay Ivey at a watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

The Democratic chairman of an Illinois county is facing criticism for posting an image on social media comparing Make America Great Again hats worn by supporters of President Donald Trump to Ku Klux Klan hoods.

Crain's Chicago Business reported the Kankakee County Democrats posted the image Friday. That's the same day an Illinois Republican group posted an image on Facebook of four Democratic congresswomen Trump has criticized and referred to them as the "Jihad Squad." 

Kankakee County Democratic Party Chairman John Willard told Crain's he posted the image of a MAGA hat resembling a hood. Both it and the Republican County Chairman's Association's Facebook post were later deleted.

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker criticized Willard's post, saying it "lacks the civility our politics should demand." 

Republican state Rep. Grant Wehrli of Naperville tells the Chicago Tribune , "This identity politics has got to stop. From both sides."