CHICAGO (AP) — A political reporter in Chicago says he’s resigned after being put on temporary leave when Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner’s campaign accused him of having a conflict of interest.

Dave McKinney was the Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief.
He wrote a letter Wednesday to the CEO of Sun-Times’ parent company, Wrapports LLC. It says he resigned because he believes the owners improperly influenced newsroom decisions.

The incident stems from a story McKinney co-wrote about a lawsuit alleging Rauner threatened a former employee.

Rauner’s campaign called the story “irresponsible.” It asked the Sun-Times to acknowledge that McKinney’s wife is a Democratic media consultant “in the interest of transparency.”

McKinney denies the conflict claim and the newspaper’s editor publicly backed him after a “review.”

Rauner is a former investor in parent company Wrapports.

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