Preckwinkle’s ties to Burke have been under scrutiny amid the powerful alderman’s federal legal troubles and her candidacy for Chicago mayor. In the weeks since the FBI raided Burke’s City Hall and ward offices, Preckwinkle has sought to distance herself from the alderman, returning thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and saying she has had “little contact and no relationship with the alderman” despite him having hosted a fundraiser for her at his home. She had previously declined to return all the money from the fundraiser, limiting it to just money she received from Burke’s committees, despite calls from opponents to do so.