Billionaire Thomas Pritzker steps down as Hyatt executive chairman over Epstein ties

Billionaire Thomas Pritzker, 75, has stepped down arsenic executive president of Hyatt Hotels complete his ties to nan precocious convicted activity offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Pritzker, relative to Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, is nan latest notable fig to look consequences aft nan Department of Justice was compelled to merchandise millions of documents relating to Epstein, who died successful his New York City jailhouse compartment successful 2019 while facing national activity trafficking charges.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced Pritzker’s status from his salient domiciled connected nan Board of Directors connected Monday. Pritzker had served arsenic executive president since 2004.

Pritzker, who is joined to Margot Pritzker, said successful a statement, “My occupation and work is to supply bully stewardship,” which he said intends “protecting Hyatt, peculiarly successful nan discourse of my relation pinch Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I profoundly regret.

“I exercised unspeakable judgement successful maintaining interaction pinch them, and location is nary excuse for failing to region myself sooner. I condemn nan actions and nan harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I consciousness heavy sorrow for nan symptom they inflicted connected their victims.”

Hyatt’s president and CEO, Mark Hoplamazian, will return complete arsenic president of nan committee effective immediately.

The Epstein files revealed that Pritzker kept successful interaction pinch nan disgraced financier agelong aft he pleaded blameworthy successful Florida to soliciting adultery from a insignificant successful 2008.

In an email speech from 2018, reported by respective outlets, Epstein asked Pritzker to thief put a travel to Asia for Karyna Shuliak, who was reportedly his girlfriend.

When Pritzker asked what she was going to do there, Shuliak responded, “Going to effort to find a caller woman for Jeffrey.” Pritzker said, “May nan Force beryllium pinch you,” on pinch a smiley-face emoji.

In 2003, Pritzker had messaged Maxwell, who is presently serving 20 years successful situation for sexually exploiting and abusing girls pinch Epstein, astir a meal party.

Maxwell mentioned that location would beryllium 5 models serving astatine nan party, and Pritzker suggested having nan guests beryllium servers and nan models beryllium guests.

“This would beryllium acold much fun,” he wrote successful nan exchange, per The Wall Street Journal.

The Independent has reached retired to JB Pritzker’s agency for remark astir his relative stepping down from nan Hyatt board.

Other salient figures to look repercussions for their ties to Epstein are erstwhile Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, apical Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler and talent agency laminitis Casey Wasserman.

Republican Representative from Kentucky, Thomas Massie, and Democratic Representative from California, Ro Khanna, who some led nan push to merchandise nan Epstein files, shared nan news of Pritzker’s status from nan Hyatt committee connected societal media.

“Chairman of Hyatt Hotels stepping down arsenic a consequence of Epstein disclosures,” Massie wrote connected X.

“Tom Pritzker is portion of nan Epstein people & is stepping down arsenic Chairman of Hyatt,” Khanna posted. “Will he besides measurement down arsenic Chairman of nan Pritzker statement which manages various Pritzker family assets?”