American tycoon Thomas J. Pritzker announced on Monday that he is stepping down as executive chairman of the Hyatt hotel chain and will not seek re-election to the board of directors to 'protect' the company from his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, exposed by the U.S. government's declassification of documents in his case. Pritzker, 75, stated that his responsibility as executive chairman is to provide 'good governance,' and as part of that work, he had discussed with other executives his departure after 22 years at the helm of the hotel chain, as well as a 'transition' of power, declaring that 'the time is right' as the company is in a 'strong position.' 'Good governance also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret. I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them and have no excuse for not distancing myself sooner.'
