Republicans react to McClain email story
Wednesday, Jan 8, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* House GOP Leader Jim Durkin was quoted in the WBEZ story…
“This revelation is shocking and beyond words,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said in a statement this week. “I am disturbed by the fact that horrific and possible criminal actions may have occurred and government officials, Mike McClain and his enablers chose to stay silent instead of taking action.
“There needs to be an immediate criminal investigation into the content of McClain’s email to the administration, and I encourage anyone with information on this to report it immediately to the proper authorities.”
He also had some very strong words about the topic at an unrelated press conference today…
[I uploaded the wrong file. I replaced it with a much shorter, on-topic clip.]
* A sampling from Twitter…
* ILGOP…
The latest email from Mike McClain, uncovered by WBEZ, to the top staff of the former Quinn administration is beyond comprehension. We all know that McClain is one of Madigan’s closest allies, most trusted lobbyist and personal friend of the Speaker. What we didn’t know is that when McClain carried on as Madigan’s enforcer, he cited the cover-up of a rape as a badge of honor when imploring government officials to protect his patronage hire.
“The company you keep for decades says a lot about the type of person you are. Madigan and his leadership - the power structure of the Democratic party in Illinois - is rotten to the core. Madigan must provide answers immediately to these two questions: what did you know about the rape and when did you know it?” - ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:16 pm:
Great response by Sen. Minority Leader Brady.
If Rep. Skillcorn and anyone else has proof Madigan is a crook, shouldn’t they have reported it to the authorities by now?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:24 pm:
While all these responses seem thoughtful and are rightly, very rightly in fact, condemning, the real miss, I feel, everyone is missing is… how much of that email is written in a shorthand, seemingly pointing out those in this chain will know *exactly* what is being discussed.
There’s no long opining, or making a refreshed case for the plea.
It’s written, each word, each thought, in this shorthand of known things that all are verse.
That’s the severely troubling part, well outside all the awful.
- anonomoose - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:27 pm:
I know that you know, and now you know that I know that you know.
- Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:32 pm:
The Republicans should just sit back and keep quiet on this one. Let the Dems implode on their own, don’t make it partisan.
- GADawg - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:49 pm:
Has anybody heard anything from the two top aides of Quinn?
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 3:54 pm:
Isn’t this doing exactly what McClain did in weaponizing this for political gain?
- A State Employee Guy - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 4:07 pm:
I cannot believe I’m saying this: the Republicans are completely right.
- Fone home - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 4:10 pm:
What did Anne Spillane know?
- low level - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 4:59 pm:
Agree w State Employee Guy. GOP is right. Time for Madigan to retire. Never thought I’d say that but there you go.
- low level - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 5:01 pm:
One more: sad to see Gary Hannig involved as he was one of the most down to earth people, not just politician, I ever met.
- Smitty Irving - Wednesday, Jan 8, 20 @ 9:09 pm:
Waiting for Durkin to condemn James R. Thompson, Jim Edgar, and George Ryan.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jan 9, 20 @ 1:57 am:
===Madigan must provide answers immediately to these two questions: what did you know about the rape and when did you know it?===
I get that these guys are basically just using language that calls back to the Watergate hearings, but this kind of language is really premature at this point in the investigation.
They are also very bold in assuming that a thorough investigation is going to have one sided results.
But every single one of these corrupt [censored] we can send to prison, the better. Party doesn’t matter.
- 17% Solution - Thursday, Jan 9, 20 @ 8:03 am:
Wehrli and Skillicorn will rue the day they made these statements. What will happen the day a friend, family member employee or political ally gets in trouble? Will they step down? (I bet not).
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jan 9, 20 @ 8:52 am:
The GOP statements on this have really bothered me.
These same folks have repeatedly voiced unwavering support for Donald Trump and he has been repeatedly accused of sexual assault. To my knowledge they also voiced full throat-ed support to a supreme court nominee that was accused of rape.
It’s clear they only support an investigation into an alleged rape when they think a Democrat did it.
The same overall party apparatus, including our GOP congressional delegation have repeatedly made efforts to fail to reauthorize the violence against women act.
The more I think about their responses to this, the more I think it’s just absolute bull. I don’t believe they sincerely care about addressing sexual assault. I don’t believe they care about victims.
I think they only care about the potential press hit against Democrats and that is beyond frustrating for me.
But maybe this will be the victim and the cover up that finally makes them take all victims and cover ups seriously.
The scoreboard says otherwise.