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McClain leniency pitch for pal referenced how the “loyal” to Quinn man kept mum about a rape and ghost payrollers

Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney at WBEZ

A powerful former Springfield lobbyist and close friend of House Speaker Michael Madigan once sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case by arguing that the worker “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified rape downstate.

In the previously undisclosed, 2012 email, ex-lobbyist Michael McClain urged two top aides to then-Gov. Pat Quinn to avoid firing the worker, also telling them the man was politically “loyal” to Quinn and stayed silent about “ghost workers.” […]

The disclosure of the 2012 email — which WBEZ obtained recently through an open-records request — immediately prompted calls for an investigation from Gov. JB Pritzker and the top Republican in the Illinois House, who called the email’s contents “horrific.” […]

Newly obtained emails plainly demonstrate McClain’s unique level of access and influence. McClain urged Quinn’s aides not to let pending disciplinary action against the state worker “get out of hand.” A day later he thanked them for what he said was the abrupt postponement of a hearing in the case, saying, “Nothing happens accidentally.”

Go read the rest.

       

51 Comments
  1. - The Captain - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:33 pm:

    Holy … this is abhorrent.

    Also, how many of these stories have been broken by McKinney now? I’ve lost count. The WBEZ team has been very, very impressive.


  2. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:38 pm:

    The revelations found in all these emails get more troubling, and more seedy.


  3. - Tom - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:46 pm:

    Simply, Quinn can’t hide behind he didn’t know… this “personnel” issue was up to Quinn and the caliber of personnel Quinn placed in management positions….. and we see how it turned out.

    Quinn re direct $55,000,000 of jobs, counseling and intervention monies to be used to help get him re elected…..


  4. - Lil Lebowski Urban Achiever - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:46 pm:

    Is there anything Mike McClain DIDN’T put in an email?


  5. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:46 pm:

    ===Simply, Quinn can’t hide behind he didn’t know===

    That’s what you get out of this story? Seriously?


  6. - Henry Francis - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:48 pm:

    McClain puts things like rape coverups in emails he knows (or should know) are subject to FOIA? Makes one wonder what else he would put in writing.

    The feds have over 62,000 of Ed Burke’s phone calls. How many of McClain’s emails do they have?


  7. - Sue - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:48 pm:

    Too bad the Federal Statute of Limitations for obstruction is only 5 years


  8. - Lottie O’Neill - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:51 pm:

    The fact that this was written in an email to a FOIA-ble account shows the utter impunity McClain has been operating under for years. Kudos to WBEZ for reporting.


  9. - Kevin - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:51 pm:

    Even in this era of heightened sensitivity around sex crimes and other inappropriate sexual behavior, ending prison sexual assault is not given the same bandwidth as other issues.


  10. - Say What? - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:52 pm:

    A symphony of what public service should not be about . . . . . .good Lord.


  11. - Montrose - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:52 pm:

    If that is what he was comfortable putting in an email, I can’t imagine what he says on the phone or in person. There are so many paths to follow with this one email, and all of them are really ugly.


  12. - NotBecky - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:55 pm:

    **Even in this era of heightened sensitivity around sex crimes and other inappropriate sexual behavior, ending prison sexual assault is not given the same bandwidth as other issues.**

    How do you know it had anything to do with prison sexual assault? Are there prisons in Champaign?


  13. - Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 3:57 pm:

    In what world is a person rewarded for keeping quiet about a rape? Corruption is worse than I thought, and I thought it was bad.


  14. - King Louis XVI - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:00 pm:

    And Madigan trusted the judgment of this guy? For decades?


  15. - Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:06 pm:

    Abhorrent, reprehensible, amoral, all good words to describe this. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think there is an IDOC facility in Champaign. The Pritzker campaign and administration is in an awkward position, but at least they released the emails.


  16. - Birdseed - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:14 pm:

    === but at least they released the emails. ===

    You give extra credit for following the law?


  17. - Bud's Bar Stool - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:21 pm:

    So McClain had knowledge of an unreported rape, evidently did not himself report it, heaped praise on another guy for staying quiet about the rape, and cited that guy’s silence as justification for his continued employment with the state?

    Everything reported previously – the alleged steering of payments to Kevin Quinn, his attempt to manipulate the governor’s choice of chief of staff, his lying about no longer working for ComEd, etc. – all seems so very inconsequential.


  18. - Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:22 pm:

    ===You give extra credit for following the law?===

    Why do you think McClain would say such things on government records? Ignorance of the FOIA?


  19. - City Zen - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:25 pm:

    We are spirits in the payroll world.


  20. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:33 pm:

    Faith based outreach AND rape coverup. What a guy. What a horror.


  21. - ILPundit - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:35 pm:

    So many threads to pull in this story. The one I’m trying to wrap my head around is that, apparently, Mike McLain, Jerry Stermer, Gary Hannig, and Forrest Ashby were all apparently aware of cover-up of a rape in Champaign county — and the cover up of said rape was apparently a badge of honor. Words utterly fail. This is so gross.

    If I ever got an email like that, I would have had the lawyers in my office immediately calling the OEIG, the State Police, or both.


  22. - Bertrum Cates - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:42 pm:

    I am trying not to rush to judgement, but, really, Mike? Really?

    Also…

    = “The campaign was not aware of this email from 2012, which is nearly five years before the campaign even began, and we would have had no way to discover this email,” =

    Ummm… = The disclosure of the 2012 email — which WBEZ obtained recently through an open-records request =

    Setting that aside, you do not need the email. The email did not put this guy on the campaign’s payroll. For crying out loud, the alleged incident happened during a Democratic administration. Did somebody think to check this guy out with one of several party faithfuls at DOC in 2012?

    = he went through the same vetting procedure as every other staff member.” =

    And some cabinet and board & commission picks, apparently. This is hardly the first time the vetting process has embarrassed the candidate and administration.

    Finally…

    The Captain is 100% right. = The WBEZ team has been very, very impressive. = Isn’t it amazing what can happen when a news outlet recruits and pays for talent?


  23. - Lil Squeezy - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:43 pm:

    “If I ever got an email like that, I would have had the lawyers in my office immediately calling the OEIG, the State Police, or both.”

    Yep.


  24. - Alfred - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:52 pm:

    - The Pritzker campaign and administration is in an awkward position-

    How? Do the right thing and get to the bottom of whatever the heck is going on here. There is no room for party politics here….


  25. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 4:58 pm:

    I’m seriously fantasizing about what the actions of the rogue army from Dietland would be because of such an email.


  26. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:02 pm:

    In my head, I’m hearing a voice that sounds like Hans Gruber or Alan Rickman screaming the name “McClain.”

    Or maybe it’s not in my head.


  27. - Annonin' - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:04 pm:

    And the guy worked for GovJunk before retiring. Hmmmm.


  28. - Leave a Light On George - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:04 pm:

    Anybody in that email chain, who saw or read it in any disciplinary meeting or hands it passed through should be criminally investigated for obstruction of justice.

    If they are still employed by the state they should be put on leave immediately pending discipline.

    ILPundit has it exactly right.


  29. - dirksen - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:09 pm:

    The one thing that is abundantly clear is that the Gov’s office is going to get a ton more foias.


  30. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:12 pm:

    Does McClain’s brother Kevin still work at ILETSB?


  31. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:21 pm:

    At some point in everyone’s professional career, something is going to cross your desk that faces you with the choice: do the right thing and lose your job or do nothing and keep your job.

    You just hope when your day comes you make the right choice.


  32. - SSL - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:32 pm:

    I’m sure Madigan had no inkling whatsoever what type of man McClain was, and the type of things he was doing. If he had, he would have immediately disassociated himself from McClain. I expect a statement will be forthcoming to that effect.


  33. - ILPundit - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 5:46 pm:

    @SSL:

    I assume you are joking?


  34. - Etown - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 7:19 pm:

    Yellow Dog

    I assume what you are saying is jobs come and go but nothing is worse than losing your integrity and your moral compass. Apparently McClain felt a paycheck and access to MJM was worth more than his integrity or moral compass


  35. - Pippa - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 7:29 pm:

    I can’t see Jerry Stermer being part of anything like this, but I’ve been surprised before.

    Also, Annonin, you may want to sit this one out.


  36. - Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 7:36 pm:

    Excitable Boy -
    Kevin McClain retired 4 years ago. As someone else here often says, “Try to keep up.” …


  37. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 7:58 pm:

    - As someone else here often says, “Try to keep up.” -

    Sorry, I just dabble in IL politics. But it seems keeping up with all of McClain’s antics and connections would be a full time gig.

    Also, bite me.


  38. - revvedup - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 8:34 pm:

    Nevermind the OIEG or the Departmental IG’s, investigating crimes is a job for law enforcement, not bodies or departments having ZERO criminal enforcement powers. Going forward, anyone reporting a crime involving State employees or agents contacting the OEIG or an IG office should be referred to the State Police, or the police agency where the crime was committed.


  39. - Dot dot dot - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 8:34 pm:

    He left the state payroll as a full-time worker in 2018. But Ashby almost immediately landed a new gig — as a $5,000-a-month political consultant to Pritzker’s campaign for governor in that year’s election, state records show. McClain recommended Ashby for the job, the Pritzker campaign said this week.


  40. - Dot dot dot - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 8:36 pm:

    This explains the preemptive Caprara article trying to distance Ptizger from McClain.

    Would be good to know how deep he was in the campaign/transition.


  41. - Nat sound - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 8:47 pm:

    WBEZ is breaking all the stories. Tony Arnold has quietly and steadily become one of the best political reporters in Illinois.


  42. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 9:57 pm:

    ===This explains the preemptive Caprara article===

    Um, no. The Sun-Times FOIA was only for emails from 2019. Go soak your head.


  43. - Ccapilla - Tuesday, Jan 7, 20 @ 11:03 pm:

    As I was taught early in my career: email stands for Evidence Made Available In Litigation. Type wisely.


  44. - SAP - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 12:17 am:

    ==Does McClain’s brother still work at ILETSB?==

    Objection, relevance.


  45. - Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 7:26 am:

    - Objection, relevance. -

    If you bothered to read the story you may have noticed that is the agency currently with a contract with Mr. Ashby. It seems McClain may have some influence there.


  46. - Name Withheld - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 8:26 am:

    — “…the Gov’s office is going to get a ton more foias.” —

    Given the references in the article to the AG and Sherriffs (sic) “loving this guy”, I would expect FOIAs to be flying all over the place.


  47. - Practical Politics - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 8:36 am:

    If you read the entire WBEZ story, poor Pat Quinn strains credulity when he denies knowing about the ghost employees sponsored by Emil Jones, Sr. Chicago State would be one such example.


  48. - Just Me - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 9:03 am:

    What is equally surprising here and is underreported, is that Gary Hannig and Jeremy Stermer apparently knew what rape McClain was referring.

    And after receiving this e-mail from McClain they agreed with him.


  49. - Nick Name - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 9:27 am:

    “He has kept quiet on Jones’ ghost workers”

    Which Jones, I wonder.


  50. - A Guy - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 10:28 am:

    It’s enough to make you cry and puke at the same time.


  51. - honestcop - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 2:58 pm:

    Well Mc Clain’s brother was appointed Director of the Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board after some party maneuvers. His only experience was some contractual lawyer work for the board prior to that. An individual with over 20 years of experience at the board offices was passed over because of out side influences.


Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.


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