Website Leaks Joe Ricketts' Racist Emails

CHICAGO — Billionaire Joe Ricketts is apologizing after his emails were leaked by the website SplinterNews.com. His son, Cubs' chairman Tom Ricketts, released a statement distancing himself from his father's comments.

The emails include conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama and racist jokes.

‘‘I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails,’’ Joe Ricketts said in a statement. ‘‘Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I’ve said things that don’t reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong.’’

In his emails, the billionaire questioned Obama's faith and suggested that the former president lied about attending Columbia University. Joe Ricketts also called Islam a "cult and not a religion."

"Christianity and Judaism are based on love, whereas Islam is based on ‘kill the infidel,’ a thing of evil,” the billionaire wrote.

The Ricketts family has owned the Cubs since 2009. Joe Ricketts holds no title with the team; however, his other three other children, Pete, Laura and Todd, sit on the team's board of directors.

"Let me be clear: The language and views expressed in those emails have no place in our society," Tom Ricketts said in a statement released Monday.

"My father is not involved with the operation of the Chicago Cubs in any way. I am trusted with representing this organization and our fans with a respect for people from all backgrounds. These emails do not reflect the culture we've worked so hard to build at the Chicago Cubs since 2009."

Joe Ricketts is the founder and former CEO of TD Ameritrade. The elder Ricketts is also the father of Pete Ricketts, governor of Nebraska, and Todd Ricketts, who is the Republican National Committee finance chair.

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