Republicans Disappointed w/End of Breach of Trust Claim Against Madigan; Bailey Weighs In

An Illinois House committee has ended its consideration of a breach of trust claim against House Speaker Michael Madigan, voting down further proceedings that could have led to discipline against the Speaker.

The committee vote to authorize a charge against Madigan was 3-3, but along party lines, and Democratic control rendered it a rejection.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin had sought a charge of conduct unbecoming a legislator against Madigan after federal prosecutors implicated the longtime leader in a bribery scheme involving utility ComEd.

Democrats said the investigation should be left to the federal government. Republicans said procedure obligated them to fully investigate.

Local St. Rep. Darren Bailey of Xenia weighed in on the issue: 

"Influence peddling and corrupt practices by ‘Public Official A’ (everyone knows is Speaker Michael J. Madigan) and his allies is not acceptable! The Democrat members who have refused to call Speaker Madigan and others to investigate the evidence made public by federal prosecutors, are looking like ‘accomplices after the fact’ as legal people would say.

I call it enabling to allow this kind of activity to go un-investigated thoroughly by the House Special Investigating Committee. They are enabling Mike Madigan to continue to do business as usual in Illinois when the evidence shows there is a corrupt pattern over nearly a decade in the ComEd bribery case.

Even Democrat Gov. Pritzker has said that Speaker Madigan needs to come forward and explain his actions in this bribery scheme. The growing number of House members who see that this is a dire situation is up to nineteen. They seem to understand the bigger picture of control by their party and have said publicly that they cannot support Madigan for Speaker again. This Special Investigating Committee needs to reconvene and subpoena Mike Madigan to explain his role and knowledge of the bribery scheme."