* Press release…
“Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker are bankrolling a Democrat accused of beating a woman and trespassing on her property. When Pritzker says ‘we believe you’ and Madigan says he will ‘personally’ intervene in harassment and abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. J.B. Pritzker will support Mike Madigan at all costs, regardless of how many women Madigan’s corruption hurts.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
First, it was Kevin Quinn. Then, it was Shaw Decremer. Now, it’s State Rep. Bob Rita.
Yesterday, on International Women’s Day, yet another brave woman stepped forward to tell her story of abuse at the hands of a close ally of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Bob Rita.
Rita’s accuser revealed that in 2002, her father, a former legislator, pleaded with Mike Madigan to personally intervene with Rita to keep her safe from his violent attacks. Madigan said he couldn’t get involved and kept the money flowing to Rita’s campaign. Now, Madigan says he can’t recall if such a meeting ever occurred. Rita went on to win his campaign and be a rubber stamp for Madigan’s agenda.
Fast forward to 2016.
J.B. Pritzker used an LLC to secretly funnel $5,400 in campaign cash to Bob Rita, Mike Madigan, and other Madigan-backed Democrats.
Now that domestic battery and criminal trespass allegations against Rita have resurfaced, does J.B. Pritzker still support Bob Rita’s candidacy for the Illinois House?
Additionally, does J.B. Pritzker believe Bob Rita’s accuser or does he believe Mike Madigan?
Whenever J.B. Pritzker says “we believe you” or Mike Madigan says he will “personally” intervene in harassment or abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. Madigan and Pritzker will do anything for power, no matter how many women get hurt.
OK, first of all, there were no direct contributions from any of Speaker Madigan’s committees to Rita’s campaign in either the 2002 primary or that year’s general election. However, the alleged crime happened after the primary and that’s a strong Democratic district, so Madigan didn’t really need to be involved in the fall. Rita ended up getting 80 percent of the vote after spending less than $25K.
Also, Rita was acquitted, despite the fact that his jury included 9 women and he was accused of beating up and threatening to rape a cop who was the daughter of a popular former state legislator.
* Even so, I think they have a point about Pritzker. From the above video link to a Pritzker ad…
“If I’m elected governor, when… women everywhere need me to say ‘we believe you,’ I will be in charge.”
The alleged victim here says the jury got it all wrong.
I’ve asked the Pritzker campaign for a response.
* Related…
* Domestic battery accusations resurface against State Rep. Bob Rita ahead of primary election: Liz Hogan, Rita’s former girlfriend, said the incidents happened in 2002 when she was attempting to break off their relationship. “He grabbed me by the back of my hair and pulled me down to the ground,” said Hogan. Rita went to trial in the case and was acquitted in 2003. But Hogan, emboldened in part by the #MeToo movement, believes it is now a different era.
* Michael Madigan wouldn’t intervene in domestic battery case involving Democratic candidate, woman says: Sixteen years after the alleged incident, Hogan is taking her case to the court of public opinion, bolstered by the #MeToo movement and the support of Rita’s primary challenger, Mary Carvlin, Carvlin joined Hogan at the news conference, where she called on Madigan and Rita to step down. “Voting for Bob Rita is voting for Speaker Michael Madigan,” Carvlin said. “This is a man whose organization has rampant sexual harassment and a history of protecting the abuser, not the abused.”
* Rep. Bob Rita’s Accuser Comes Forward: Hogan asked her father, retired State Rep. Andy McGann, for help. She says McGann went to talk to Madigan. “So he came back and he, almost with tears in his eyes, said Mike Madigan says he couldn’t do anything about it. He just threw his hands up in the air,” Hogan said. “Madigan should have acknowledged the problem, addressed it — someone should have talked to Bob Rita about it.”
* State Representative’s Former Girlfriend Says Madigan Knew of Abuse Allegations: Madigan’s spokesman says the speaker does not recall meeting Hogan’s father. Rita was acquitted in the trial, and in a written statement Rita said “The claims were false then and are false today. Since then I have been a champion for women’s issues in Springfield and in the district.” “That’s a straight up lie,” Hogan said in response. “It’s a lie.”
* Speaker Madigan denies inaction in years-old domestic dispute involving lawmaker: Hogan’s father died in 2008. McGann and the speaker were friends, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. Madigan sponsored a death resolution in McGann’s honor. “I remember him sitting there in the church, crying, in one of the pews,” Hogan said of the speaker at McGann’s funeral. She says she didn’t recall speaking to Madigan then.
* Woman says Madigan ignored abuse charge against House candidate in 2002: “The speaker has no memory of a meeting between him and McGann about Bob Rita,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. “This apparently happened after the incident, after Rita was charged. So I don’t even know what, if such a meeting happened, what was the expectation?”
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:39 am:
Given his sincere concern for the abused, perhaps DeGroot could get his boss to stop stonewalling on those DCFS stats.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:41 am:
After reading this, I have tried to imagine what I would say if Rauner had a staff person that was abusing their spouse/significant other. Are leaders really in charge of regulating their staff’s private relationships? Is Speaker Paul Ryan charged with regulating the behavior of all his members during their private time? no.
- Winnin’ - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:41 am:
From the great thinkers in the GOP.
Forget policy. Forget the fact that his operation is unsurpassed despite cries of corruption.
The GOP has created Madigan the Dragon.
They have nothing else.
- Retired Educator - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:49 am:
I do not want to seem unsympathetic but we are talking about events from 15 years ago. Rita was found not guilty, and cleared of all charges. Is this how this movement operates? I will simply make an accusation, and ruin some ones life, and everyone is supposed to just buy into it? I am sorry folks, but he was not guilty then, and as far as I can tell, he is not guilty now.
- Alexander county guy - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:51 am:
Kennedy is anti establish candidate. Which is why we need him as governor
- Perrid - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 11:54 am:
As far as I am concerned, he was acquitted and so that shouldn’t be allowed to affect anyone’s decisions. Leaders investigating, maybe suspending staff while the investigations happen, whatever, but when a full blown criminal trial finds someone innocent then there is no reason to expect others to cut ties with that person. In fact I would say there should be a lot of reasons to expect that the accusation would not be acted upon. That sucks for the accuser if her story is legit, I understand that, but we shouldn’t even want to live in a world where people’s careers are ended on mere accusations.
- ??? - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:00 pm:
I don’t remember the ILGOP ever being this concerned about the behavior of their own members towards women - one long-serving legislator from the suburbs in particular who served from the mid-80s until about 2000, who was notorious for making crude and inappropriate sexual remarks to female staff.
- Almost the Weekend - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:02 pm:
I think it speaks volumes that the comments on this post are nowhere near as close to the one about Harold which was a hypothetical question twenty years ago and this incident actually happened 16 years ago. Let’s also include the fact she was 20 years old
- New Commenter - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:03 pm:
Unless ILGOP is calling for Trump’s resignation (a man who was accused by his own wife of rape), I can’t believe any of the mud they’re flinging around about Madigan or Pritzker.
- PurpleDog - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:04 pm:
You support Donald Trump. Thanks for playing though, guys.
- Not It - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:05 pm:
I hate to see the MeToo movement turned into modern McCarthyism. The court of public opinion seems to have bypassed “innocent until proven guilty” and is now disregarding acquittals. The cynic in me is starting to think that many of these accusations are nothing more than political opportunism and attempted career assassination. Unfortunately this undermines the legitimate complaints and detracts from the seriousness of the entire movement.
- anon2 - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:20 pm:
Not It stated it well. The purported victim in this case lost in court, and now wants another chance to convict the accued — this time in the court of public opinion. The fact that there were nine women on the jury that acquitted Rita apparently doesn’t matter: he’s considered guilty as charged by MeToo.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:28 pm:
“Kennedy is anti establish candidate. Which is why we need him as governor”
Nice drive-by.
- Ginhouse Tommy - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:30 pm:
The ILGOP has become so obsessed with Madigan that it’s ignoring other things they could use in the campaign like the Dems. passed a massive tax increase and it is really going to hurt. Instead it’s Madigan over and over again. They obviously don’t see that it has lost it’s shock value. If they get creamed in the election they have no one to blame but themselves.
- A Jack - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:33 pm:
The ILGOP is all for the Second amendment, but apparently ignores the Fifth Amendment when it suits their political purposes.
I have no use for a party that selectively chooses which parts of the Constitution it wants to use for trying to score political points. Rita was acquitted and that should be the end of it.
- Amalia - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 12:39 pm:
something you, Anon0091 are also familiar with.
just want the old boys network gone. tired of all of their connected problems. Madigan. Berrios. Ed Burke. and take Toni Preckwinkle with you too.
- Eire17 - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 1:31 pm:
Whatever the merits of the case are Rita was accused of something that we all agree is very bad. He denied it. He took it through our legal process and was acquitted. Keep in mind this was not a bench trial–so no one can say a connected judge got him off–he took this to a jury who acquitted him. Done.
- Signal and Noise - Friday, Mar 9, 18 @ 2:35 pm:
What’s the point of a jury trial if the results can just be voided because it doesn’t fit a particular narrative? Lorna Brett and Co. are running low on gas for their bonfire. Actual victims deserve better than these political sniper games.