Madigan announced Friday that his political organization had retained an “independent counsel” in Kelly Smith-Haley, of Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll, LLP.
Smith-Haley “will provide independent review of allegations, conduct investigations, and provide recommendations for updating policies and procedures, including clear rules for conduct and penalties for violations,” Madigan wrote in a letter to Democratic lawmakers. […]
Smith-Haley’s two brothers, Mike Smith and Bill Smith, both work at Cornerstone Government Affairs - a public relations and lobbying firm that hired another top Madigan aide, Will Cousineau, eight months ago. […]
Smith-Haley confirmed Tuesday that her brothers work with Cousineau, though she said she has “no ties to Cornerstone” and has met Cousineau “briefly” but “never spoken with him in a one-on-one setting.”
“This is exactly what I do for all my clients,” the employment attorney said, adding, “I would not have taken the assignment if I was not going to be independent.”
Madigan’s longtime attorney Mike Kasper asked Smith-Haley, with assistance from others at her firm, to serve in that role after two high-ranking operatives in the speaker’s inner circle were dismissed over misconduct allegations within a week.
Smith-Haley said she and Kasper know each other because their daughters attend school together, but she has never done any work for him before.
“Our firm has been brought on to help the client look at previous investigations to see if it was handled in accordance with their policies and if not what needs to change,” Smith-Haley said in an exclusive interview Wednesday - conducted just after Kasper and Smith-Haley met. […]
J.B. Pritzker, who has received much of the party’s official backing, has also for the first time shared criticism of Madigan’s handling of the situation, saying, “The people investigating Speaker Madigan’s operation should have no political or other ties to the speaker.”
* The Sun-Times puts all that into context for this week’s news…
A lawyer hired by Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan last year to investigate allegations of sexual harassment within his political organization — including those leveled against longtime political aide Kevin Quinn — is the sister of two lobbyists who reportedly paid Quinn $2,000 earlier this year.
Kelly Smith-Haley was retained by Madigan in February 2018 to “receive and investigate harassment allegations” regarding the speaker’s political staff, according to a Feb. 16, 2018 letter Madigan sent to the House Democratic caucus and to staffers. […]
Smith-Haley’s brothers, Mike Smith and Bill Smith, both work at Cornerstone Government Affairs, a public relations and lobbying firm. Bill Smith is a senior consultant, and Mike Smith is a principal and director at the Washington-based firm, which also operates in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune on Wednesday reported Quinn received two checks for $1,000 each from Cornerstone Government Affairs in January, four months before his home was raided by federal agents. It’s not clear what authorities were seeking in the raid.
Among Cornerstone’s clients is ComEd, which has acknowledged being served with a federal grand jury subpoena seeking lobbyist records. The utility’s large stable of lobbyists include many with close ties to Madigan.
It’s like living in a small town. Everybody knows everybody.
It’s a small town, son
And we all support the team
*** UPDATE 1 *** ILGOP…
“It’s hard to believe that Speaker Madigan had no knowledge of $10,000 worth of payments from his close allies to his disgraced former employee, Kevin Quinn after Madigan had dismissed Quinn for sexual harassment. Yes or no, did Speaker Madigan have any knowledge of these payments? Why were his close allies paying Quinn after his dismissal?” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Joe Hackler
*** UPDATE 2 *** NRCC…
In case you missed it, the Chicago Tribune is detailing the shady financial dealings of four ComEd lobbyists who are under federal investigation for providing payments to an ousted Illinois political operative.
What else do these corrupt lobbyists have in common? They’ve all donatedthousands to Socialist Loser* Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s congressional campaign! Betsy even appears to be close friends with one of the men under investigation.
Betsy is the first to decry corporate PAC money (even though she’s accepted hundreds of thousands from the DCCC), but will happily take money from corrupt Chicago lobbyists? Yikes!
NRCC Comment: “Socialist Loser* Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is a hypocrite and she can’t have it both ways. Betsy should return every penny from the DCCC and corrupt Chicago lobbyists, or come clean to voters about who is really funding her socialist campaign.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Carly Atchison
*(U.S. House Election Results 2018, The New York Times, January 28, 2019).
*** UPDATE 3 *** Ouch…
To the Democratic Women’s Caucus:
I have now been waiting for a year & a half for you to support me publicly, or even address me by name in a statement. Where are you? What is your stance? We all want to know.
The silence from the Democratic Party women’s caucus is absolutely deafening.
- Help me understand - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 10:48 am:
SpiDem— What is it you’d like them to say? A year after Kevin Quinn was fired a group of men who run private businesses hired the guy to do work. Kevin Quinn wasn’t brought back into Madigan’s world. For all we know Madigan didn’t even know. Even if he did, despite the belief he’s all powerful he has no actual control over who people hire or pay. Rich said it best today. If anything, these guys didn’t do Madigan any favors. Yet nothing here actually impacts anyone but Kevin Quinn, who will likely never get another job since hiring Quinn means immediate scrutiny.
What exactly is it that you think the Women’s caucus should do? Pitchforks and torches? Condemn the lobbyists? What? Please enlighten me.
Help Me Understand - I think the silence from the women’s caucus is deafening as well. Madigan clearly made sure his political operative landed softly, and he apparently is avoiding child support payment at the same time he is taking in thousands of dollars for presumably not working. That’s pretty gross and the Speaker should inform his caucus — the people who voted for him — what he knew and when he knew it.
=== Madigan clearly made sure his political operative landed softly ===
If you think that Kevin Quinn has had it easy after his termination, you haven’t been paying attention.
He hasn’t been able to find work, in part I presume, because of all the negative press regarding his termination and legal problems. The money that was reported that he received as discussed in the media amounted to what - $10-$15k? For a period of 2 years? Not exactly living the high life on that amount. Couple that with the nasty, public divorce and I would hardly say his landing has been “soft”.
You can be angry about what he did and that he was getting any work at all from these lobbyists, but lets not distort the reality that his life has been completely turned upside down.
This tradition of “taking care of your people” goes back forever in Illinois. It has been a successful strategy - no doubt about it. Helping alleged harassers or bullies was fine before . . .
But in 2019, this strategy seems so outdated. I just don’t know if that will work going forward.
The conflict is: Madigan and his crew will never change despite this cultural change.
It does seem like we’ve approached the end of this previously successful strategy.
=== Powdered Whig - I think their point is that when Joe Shmoe gets fired for sexual harassment, nobody is mailing him $1,000 checks. ===
And Joe Shmoe also would not have their termination so publicized that they would be able to find another job. Just saying. In that vein, anyone know what John Keller is up to these days?
He knew the level of scrutiny involved when he got into the line of work. It seems to me the only person who has turned Kevin Quinn’s life upside down is Kevin Quinn.
=== He knew the level of scrutiny involved when he got into the line of work. It seems to me the only person who has turned Kevin Quinn’s life upside down is Kevin Quinn. ===
I don’t disagree with this. All I am saying is that those that are trying to make it seem like Kevin Quinn is living on Easy Street right now are distorting the facts.
=== Nobody is doing that. You’ve created a red herring in your own mind. ===
One of the previous posts referred to Madigan making sure that Quinn got a “soft” landing. I was addressing that post.
- Help me understand - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:44 pm:
To Alaina Hampton:
Kevin Quinn’s actions against you were inappropriate. That is clear. He was fired. He is no longer a threat to you in anyway and you publicly stated he has not contacted you since you reported the incidents to Marty Quinn. Months later you went public. I commend you for that.
But now — What is it you want the Women’s Caucus to do? You have no idea what has been done or the changes that have happened in Springfield over the past year. You do not work for or around the General Assembly. I venture to guess you don’t know how the culture has changed or that employees feel more open to discuss and report things. Maybe you don’t know that things have changed.
Why is it about you? I thought your point was to change the culture. That is happening. The actions of 5 people who hired your aggressor does not mean nothing has changed.
Your anger is misdirected at the Women. You’re not helping the cause.
- Flat Bed Ford - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:45 pm:
To update #3:
Ms. Hampton is exactly correct. The champions of women’s rights, equal pay, ERA and those who ran because of Trump are chillingly quiet.
Fear of Madigan and the old boys is not a good look on all Democrat women holding office.
Who are you to say Kevin Quinn isn’t a threat - that’s for the survivor to decide and if he still has all these connected people and a massive utility conspiring to support him, he probably is a threat in terms of blocking access to campaign work and contracts. You need to check and educate yourself.
Yesterday Ms. Hampton tweeted her lament that so many are accusing her of seeking attention.
Today’s “Say my Name” tweet does not help her case.
Sexual harassment is a much bigger problem than just one perpetrator or just one victim. We are much likely to get good public policy by taking a step back from the particulars of any one case and looking at the big picture.
There are few women, Republican or Democrat, lobbyist or lawmaker, journalist or staff, that do not have some personal tale of some sort of discrimination or harassment to tell, and Kevin Quinn was not the perpetrator in all of them.
Quite a few men have stories too, if you talk to them one-on-one.
Every one of the people who wrote those checks comes from an inner circle of Madigan’s that wouldn’t dare send a check to Kevin Quinn — whose actions led to the biggest, messiest political crisis the Speaker has faced to date — without at least having the blessing on high. None of them are that dumb.
As to the women, let’s not forget that the first known checks were arriving in Kevin Quinn’s mailbox at almost the exact same time the Speaker was running a statewide op-Ed on the issue pledging he was taking the issue seriously.
Apparently not so much.
Several female members were publicly vocal about the lack of leadership on the issue at the time. This current story puts the lie to what ends up having been a lot of meaningless talk to placate them. I’d think they might have something to say about that.
While I doubt anything will bring down Madigan, it is interesting to watch. And credit to Ms. Hampton for continuing to play her hand. Face it, if the inner circle is cutting checks to Quinn, then Madigan was completely insincere about wanting to change the culture that allowed this to happen. And Ms. Hampton’s claims about being discriminated against are completely legitimate. The puppet master tries to make it look like he isn’t holding strings. People know better.
Oops. I just accidentally deleted somebody because I thought it was an anonymous comment. Sorry about that.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
I think we should not let Alaina Hampton’s very brave
Act get lost in routine political nonsense.
I read a book that I think I learned about on this blog called No, My Place by Kerry Lister that was a short but good read on what seems to be a real culture problem in Illinois.
Hope the book plug doesn’t get me banned. The check issue will be resolved one way or the other by law enforcement folks. The culture issue should stay front and center.
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 10:34 am:
“Everybody knows everybody”
After 40 years not many Democratic strategist/lobbyist/lawyers left that have not been touched by the MJM influence machine.
- SpiDem - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 10:39 am:
The silence from the Democratic Party women’s caucus is absolutely deafening.
- Help me understand - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 10:48 am:
SpiDem— What is it you’d like them to say? A year after Kevin Quinn was fired a group of men who run private businesses hired the guy to do work. Kevin Quinn wasn’t brought back into Madigan’s world. For all we know Madigan didn’t even know. Even if he did, despite the belief he’s all powerful he has no actual control over who people hire or pay. Rich said it best today. If anything, these guys didn’t do Madigan any favors. Yet nothing here actually impacts anyone but Kevin Quinn, who will likely never get another job since hiring Quinn means immediate scrutiny.
What exactly is it that you think the Women’s caucus should do? Pitchforks and torches? Condemn the lobbyists? What? Please enlighten me.
- Keyrock - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 10:50 am:
Well, the Speaker wouldn’t want nobody nobody sent, would he?
- lakeside - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 11:07 am:
==an exclusive interview Wednesday - conducted just after Kasper and Smith-Haley met.==
The breathlessness of this meta commentary is really something.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 11:07 am:
Maybe they just forgot the space in “in dependent.”
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 11:40 am:
Help Me Understand - I think the silence from the women’s caucus is deafening as well. Madigan clearly made sure his political operative landed softly, and he apparently is avoiding child support payment at the same time he is taking in thousands of dollars for presumably not working. That’s pretty gross and the Speaker should inform his caucus — the people who voted for him — what he knew and when he knew it.
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 11:56 am:
=== Madigan clearly made sure his political operative landed softly ===
If you think that Kevin Quinn has had it easy after his termination, you haven’t been paying attention.
He hasn’t been able to find work, in part I presume, because of all the negative press regarding his termination and legal problems. The money that was reported that he received as discussed in the media amounted to what - $10-$15k? For a period of 2 years? Not exactly living the high life on that amount. Couple that with the nasty, public divorce and I would hardly say his landing has been “soft”.
You can be angry about what he did and that he was getting any work at all from these lobbyists, but lets not distort the reality that his life has been completely turned upside down.
- dying HDO - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:08 pm:
This tradition of “taking care of your people” goes back forever in Illinois. It has been a successful strategy - no doubt about it. Helping alleged harassers or bullies was fine before . . .
But in 2019, this strategy seems so outdated. I just don’t know if that will work going forward.
The conflict is: Madigan and his crew will never change despite this cultural change.
It does seem like we’ve approached the end of this previously successful strategy.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:10 pm:
===“…Yes or no, did Speaker Madigan have any knowledge of these payments? Why were his close allies paying Quinn after his dismissal?”===
Shoulda closed…
“We don’t expect an answer. The FBI might find all the answers themselves”
If you’re gonna swing, swing like you mean it.
- Moira - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:11 pm:
Powdered Whig - I think their point is that when Joe Shmoe gets fired for sexual harassment, nobody is mailing him $1,000 checks.
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:22 pm:
=== Powdered Whig - I think their point is that when Joe Shmoe gets fired for sexual harassment, nobody is mailing him $1,000 checks. ===
And Joe Shmoe also would not have their termination so publicized that they would be able to find another job. Just saying. In that vein, anyone know what John Keller is up to these days?
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:22 pm:
I meant wouldn’t be able to find another job.
- Nick Name - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:26 pm:
===Socialist Loser* Betsy Dirksen Londrigan===
Does Trump now write the press releases for the NRCC? Wow.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:26 pm:
===corrupt Chicago lobbyists===
Chicago… don’t forget Chicago…
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:30 pm:
===corrupt Chicago lobbyists
Chicago… don’t forget Chicago… ===
I don’t think any of the lobbyists mentioned in the story were from Chicago. LOL. But the facts never got in the way of a good story by the NRCC.
- Moira - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:32 pm:
He knew the level of scrutiny involved when he got into the line of work. It seems to me the only person who has turned Kevin Quinn’s life upside down is Kevin Quinn.
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:36 pm:
=== He knew the level of scrutiny involved when he got into the line of work. It seems to me the only person who has turned Kevin Quinn’s life upside down is Kevin Quinn. ===
I don’t disagree with this. All I am saying is that those that are trying to make it seem like Kevin Quinn is living on Easy Street right now are distorting the facts.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:37 pm:
===trying to make it seem like Kevin Quinn is living on Easy Street right now are distorting the facts===
Nobody is doing that. You’ve created a red herring in your own mind.
- Nick Name - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:38 pm:
===corrupt Chicago lobbyists===
Right up there with corrupt Chicago campaign staffers who lie in phone-in press conferences.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:40 pm:
===Chicago campaign staffers who lie in phone-in press conferences.===
You forgot “parachute in”…
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:43 pm:
=== Nobody is doing that. You’ve created a red herring in your own mind. ===
One of the previous posts referred to Madigan making sure that Quinn got a “soft” landing. I was addressing that post.
- Help me understand - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:44 pm:
To Alaina Hampton:
Kevin Quinn’s actions against you were inappropriate. That is clear. He was fired. He is no longer a threat to you in anyway and you publicly stated he has not contacted you since you reported the incidents to Marty Quinn. Months later you went public. I commend you for that.
But now — What is it you want the Women’s Caucus to do? You have no idea what has been done or the changes that have happened in Springfield over the past year. You do not work for or around the General Assembly. I venture to guess you don’t know how the culture has changed or that employees feel more open to discuss and report things. Maybe you don’t know that things have changed.
Why is it about you? I thought your point was to change the culture. That is happening. The actions of 5 people who hired your aggressor does not mean nothing has changed.
Your anger is misdirected at the Women. You’re not helping the cause.
- Flat Bed Ford - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:45 pm:
To update #3:
Ms. Hampton is exactly correct. The champions of women’s rights, equal pay, ERA and those who ran because of Trump are chillingly quiet.
Fear of Madigan and the old boys is not a good look on all Democrat women holding office.
Or on Madigan.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:45 pm:
Powdered Whig - Most employers do some sort of background and reference checks days. People fired for doing what Quinn did usually have to change industries or move to a different city. Instead we have this accusation: https://twitter.com/SarahLe93705910/status/1148024378271195136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1148024378271195136&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcapitolfax.com%2Fpage%2F2%2F
- Jibba - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:50 pm:
==Socialist Loser* Betsy Dirksen Londrigan===
Gosh, I see now that I really did need an education in what civility meant. Thanks Rodney.
- Sonny - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:51 pm:
Who are you to say Kevin Quinn isn’t a threat - that’s for the survivor to decide and if he still has all these connected people and a massive utility conspiring to support him, he probably is a threat in terms of blocking access to campaign work and contracts. You need to check and educate yourself.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 12:55 pm:
===I venture to guess you don’t know how the culture has changed===
When some of MJM’s top guys are helping to bail out Kevin Quinn, that tells me the culture has not changed at the top.
- Charlie Brown - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:15 pm:
@Flat Bed Ford
Yesterday Ms. Hampton tweeted her lament that so many are accusing her of seeking attention.
Today’s “Say my Name” tweet does not help her case.
Sexual harassment is a much bigger problem than just one perpetrator or just one victim. We are much likely to get good public policy by taking a step back from the particulars of any one case and looking at the big picture.
There are few women, Republican or Democrat, lobbyist or lawmaker, journalist or staff, that do not have some personal tale of some sort of discrimination or harassment to tell, and Kevin Quinn was not the perpetrator in all of them.
Quite a few men have stories too, if you talk to them one-on-one.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:18 pm:
=Betsy even appears to be close friends with one of the men under investigation.=
Careful, there is a long list of Trump associates and friends in or headed to prison.
The NRCC- hypocrite capital.
=ERA and those who ran because of Trump are chillingly quiet.=
LOL, yeah I am sure it is really “chillingly” for you.
- JoeMaddon - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:20 pm:
And there was this interesting tweet from Kerry Lester:
https://twitter.com/kerrylester/status/1154141137638215683
- SpiDem - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:49 pm:
@Help Me Understand
Every one of the people who wrote those checks comes from an inner circle of Madigan’s that wouldn’t dare send a check to Kevin Quinn — whose actions led to the biggest, messiest political crisis the Speaker has faced to date — without at least having the blessing on high. None of them are that dumb.
As to the women, let’s not forget that the first known checks were arriving in Kevin Quinn’s mailbox at almost the exact same time the Speaker was running a statewide op-Ed on the issue pledging he was taking the issue seriously.
Apparently not so much.
Several female members were publicly vocal about the lack of leadership on the issue at the time. This current story puts the lie to what ends up having been a lot of meaningless talk to placate them. I’d think they might have something to say about that.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:54 pm:
===Lives people…. get them.===
Says “Anonymous”, on a blog… by commenting.
LOL
- People caring loudly - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 1:59 pm:
“None of them are that dumb”……oh boy you must not work in Springfield
- Interesting - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:11 pm:
Wow. That Kerry Lester tweet was interesting Joe Maddon. Good for her for speaking her own mind but still.
“On Wednesdays, we destroy the patriarchy.”
- Help me understand - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:12 pm:
@SpiDem
If Madigan wanted to be helpful to Quinn he would have gotten him a job to pay the bills.
- SpiDem - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:19 pm:
According to Quinn’s wife, he pulled down $14K alone in checks in January from team Madigan. Annualized that’s $168K. That pays a lot of bills.
There’s a lot we don’t know, but what we do know looks pretty bad, and I suspect there is a lot more to come.
- Dupage Bard - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:28 pm:
So Alaina- who is the we you’re referring too?
I’m not seeing any primary opponents for the Womens caucus members because of this?
- SSL - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:33 pm:
While I doubt anything will bring down Madigan, it is interesting to watch. And credit to Ms. Hampton for continuing to play her hand. Face it, if the inner circle is cutting checks to Quinn, then Madigan was completely insincere about wanting to change the culture that allowed this to happen. And Ms. Hampton’s claims about being discriminated against are completely legitimate. The puppet master tries to make it look like he isn’t holding strings. People know better.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
Oops. I just accidentally deleted somebody because I thought it was an anonymous comment. Sorry about that.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
I think we should not let Alaina Hampton’s very brave
Act get lost in routine political nonsense.
I read a book that I think I learned about on this blog called No, My Place by Kerry Lister that was a short but good read on what seems to be a real culture problem in Illinois.
Hope the book plug doesn’t get me banned. The check issue will be resolved one way or the other by law enforcement folks. The culture issue should stay front and center.
- Moe Berg - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 2:45 pm:
Will Rodney be issuing a statement to condemn the NRCC for its lack of civility?
Or, is it possible, Rodney wasn’t sincere about the need for civility if it gets in the way of keeping his seat?
- Dirty Red - Thursday, Jul 25, 19 @ 3:29 pm:
If the Raunerites and NRCC are involved, I fear for the Congressman.