The guilty verdicts against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan have Republicans saying it’s beyond time for action to clean up corruption in the state.
Madigan, D-Chicago, was found guilty of 10 of 23 corruption counts Wednesday. Federal prosecutors alleged he used his public office for personal gain.
State Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, said the state House is still operating under many of Madigan’s rules, and that needs to change, including adding term limits in state law.
“We have to have ethics reforms that empower our legislative impactor general to do their job so that this culture of corruption that exists can be stamped out,” Spain said. “But we can’t continue doing things the same way that Mike Madigan did and expect that we’re going to see changes in our state government.”
House Republicans said there’s still some Madigan holdovers in the legislature, including current Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, who Republicans say was hand picked by the former speaker before he stepped down.
Spain said Welch impeded a House investigation into Madigan in 2020.
“His words at the time were specifically this: ‘This is nothing but politics. This is nothing but a sham show trial.’ That’s our current speaker today. And those words certainly haven’t aged well,” Spain said. “And neither did the standing ovation that he delivered for Mike Madigan after [Welch] was sworn in.”
Welch said in a statement he always believed the courts were the place to have the issue sorted out.
“Today’s outcome leaves me with great appreciation and respect for our legal system,” Welch said. “Investigators, prosecutors, and a jury of Illinoisans did their job.”
Welch then said Democrats are focused on “delivering for working people, rebuilding Illinois’ fiscal house, and prioritizing our shared values to combat the divisive tactics coming from Washington.”
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, released a statement, saying the jury’s verdict closes a “long, disturbing chapter in Illinois’ history.”
“It’s a stark reminder that corruption, abuse of power and manipulation of public policy for personal gain can never be tolerated. We cannot be effective if people don’t trust us,” Harmon said. “Yet, every failure is an opportunity to be better. In recent years, we have worked to restore that trust through balanced budgets, credit rating upgrades, community investments and sweeping, bipartisan ethics reform. Today’s verdict is a sobering reminder that our work is never finished. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to continue this fight for the people of Illinois.”
Madigan served as speaker of the House for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. He also served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, controlling the party’s political funds.
The House Republican Organization said there are still Democrats in the House that took Madigan-controlled campaign money to the tune of $16.5 million in donations.
“This conviction is a step toward justice, but it is not enough. The culture of corruption in Springfield did not start or end with Mike Madigan,” the HRO said in a statement. “Many members of the General Assembly benefited from his political operation, accepted his money, and enabled his reign. They must be held accountable.”
