Jim Oberweis, candidate for Congress in the 14th District, is issuing the following statement on the final vote tally and the discovery recount his campaign is seeking.
“The final vote count to be certified has me down 5,356 votes to Lauren Underwood. With more than more than 400,000 votes cast in the race, the difference between my vote total and her vote total is just over 1 percent or roughly 12 votes per precinct. Illinois election law has provisions to allow parties in a closely contested race to seek a discovery recount and I intend to pursue the legal avenues afforded to me as a candidate for office. In a race this close, we need to be certain the final vote count is correct. A discovery recount does not change a single vote, but it does allow us to see if the outcome might change with a full recount. The robust turnout for the Nov. 3rd Election in the 14th District is a clear indication of the tremendous interest in this race. We owe it to the 400,000 people who voted in this election to do all we can to ensure that the final outcome is the right outcome.”
If it was a fraction of a vote per precinct, that would be one thing. But 12 votes per precinct is a lot.
When it comes to the law, I don’t have any ability to predict how this investigation by the US Attorney into Speaker Madigan’s actions is going to conclude, and I would not even try.
I firmly believe that anyone accused of a crime, and those who face accusations of wrongdoing, are innocent until proven guilty.
But that’s not our standard for holding higher office. Instead, here’s what we all know the pay to play quid pro quo situation outlined in these indictments released last night our unspeakably wrong.
Anyone who concludes otherwise is insulting the public.
If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in a position of enormous public trust with such a serious ethical cloud hanging over his head. Then he has to at the very least, be willing to stand in front of the press and the people in the answer every last question to their satisfaction. Written statements and dodged investigatory hearings are not going to cut it.
If the speaker cannot commit to that level of transparency, then the time has come for him to resign as speaker.
We are at an incredibly difficult moment in our state. We are all overwhelmed with decisions of life and death, and economic distress. The people of Illinois do not deserve a political circus.
On top of that, I’ve maintained from the beginning that legislators have a right to make their own decisions about who leads them, and I continue to feel that way. These legislators alone hold the unique power to elect the Illinois speaker, and I trust that they will think long and hard about the duties that they owe to the people that we all work
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… Pritzker was asked if he was calling legislators asking them to vote against Madigan…
Look, the legislators themselves know what they need to consider. They’re the ones who ultimately are going to decide whether the speaker is going to continue. I speak with members of the legislature all the time. I have not spoken with members of legislature since last night.
And I’ll say it again. If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in his position of enormous public trust, then he has to answer questions for the public, for the press to their satisfaction until every last question is answered. And if the speaker can’t commit to that he ought to resign.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, House Republican Members of the Special Investigating Committee to Address U.S. Attorney’s Office Indictments Against Madigan’s Allies
WHAT: Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and State Representatives Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), Deanne Mazzochi (R- Elmhurst), Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) will address the U.S Attorney’s announcement of indictments against key Madigan allies including Mike McClain, Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker and Jay Doherty.
* The HGOPs want Madigan to quit and the Special Investigating Committee hearings restarted…
"This is far from over." Durkin says everyone knows Madigan was fully aware of the bribery scheme with Commonwealth Edison. He calls on @RepChrisWelch to continue the legislative investigation into Madigan. The committee has only met twice.
* From the committee’s chairman and Democratic members…
State Reps. Emanuel Chris Welch, Elizabeth Hernandez and Natalie Manley released the following statement Thursday:
“The federal prosecutor’s indictments against former ComEd associates elaborate on the company’s pattern of behavior as was previously detailed in the deferred prosecution agreement. They do not, however, give members of this committee carte blanche to substitute partisan grandstanding for deliberate consideration.
“Leader Durkin and his colleagues know as well as we do that this committee will soon be receiving evidentiary documents from ComEd – including documents requested by Republican members. Both Republican and Democratic counsel have been working with ComEd’s representatives to be certain that these documents would be provided to the members and the public before the next meeting was scheduled, specifically so there would be information to consider. So Republicans’ repeated insistence that this committee rush forward is nothing more than political theater, as is their public campaign to smear anyone insisting on an honest, transparent and sober process instead of a show trial. We believe it would be more prudent for a Special Investigating Committee to actually receive and review these documents rather than following the pronouncements of those who reached their conclusions long before the committee was created.”
The pace of workers filing for unemployment claims picked up last week and was a bit higher than Wall Street had been expecting.
Jobless claims totaled 742,000 for the week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, ahead of the 710,000 estimate from economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
That total also represented an acceleration from the previous week’s 709,000 and a continuation of the job market struggles since the coronavirus pandemic hit in early March.
The week-over-week increase was the first after four straight weeks of decline. Even with the increase for the most recent period, the four-week moving average, which smooths volatility in the numbers, decreased 13,750 to 742,00.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 46,526 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Nov. 9 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
There were 67,158 new unemployment claims were filed across the state last week, the week of Nov. 1.
There were 53,138 new unemployment claims filed during the week of Oct. 19 in Illinois.
A total of 46,948 new unemployment claims were filed across the state, the week of Oct. 12.
Gov. Pritzker said last week that he thought a huge surge in fraudulent claims was behind the unemployment application spike here the previous couple weeks.
* IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -3.6 percentage points to 6.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls were about unchanged, down -1,100 jobs in October, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The September monthly decrease in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -12,000 to -9,200 jobs. The September unemployment rate was revised upward from the preliminary report, from 10.2 percent to 10.4 percent.
The October payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the October payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.
The state’s unemployment rate was -0.1 percentage point lower than the national unemployment rate reported for October, which was 6.9 percent, down -1.0 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +3.1 percentage points from a year ago when it was 3.7 percent.
In October, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+13,800), Construction (+4,200) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+2,100). The industry sectors that reported the largest payroll declines were: Government (-13,500), Educational and Health Services (-6,500) and Information (-1,500).
“While the unemployment rate has steadily declined over the last several months, the governor’s office and IDES are working tirelessly to assist claimants while confronting the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “IDES is taking necessary steps to make claimants aware of the impending expiration to the federal CARES Act programs, set to end the week ending December 26. The department is working closely with the Pritzker administration to advocate for claimant stability at the federal level and will continue to do so throughout this pandemic.”
“While we continue to see positive signs that employment is picking back up, we know that there is much more work ahead as we strive for a full recovery from the impact of COVID-19 on our Illinois workers and Illinois businesses,” said Erin Guthrie, Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). “Under the leadership of Governor Pritzker, Illinois has not only led with a swift and decisive public health response to the virus, but we’ve also introduced more than $1 billion in economic support programs at DCEO alone to help small businesses and communities weather the storm. Our continued vigilance on public health measures is necessary to restore our economy and bring more people back to work.”
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by -411,800 jobs, with losses across all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases were: Leisure and Hospitality (-129,000), Professional and Business Services (-64,800) and Educational and Health Services (-59,600). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were down -6.7 percent over-the-year as compared to the nation’s -6.1 percent over-the-year decline in October.
The number of unemployed workers declined sharply from the prior month, a -35.5 percent decrease to 425,900 but was up +80.3 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was down -1.7 percent over-the-month and down -3.1 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
* I just spoke to Secretary White on the phone a few minutes ago and we had a good laugh about that comment. His people sent me this pic shortly after my conversation…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14,612 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 168 additional deaths.
Bureau County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
Champaign County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
Christian County: 1 female 70s
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 4 males 50s, 6 males 60s, 6 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 5 females 90s, 3 males 90s
Cumberland County: 1 female 90s
DeWitt County: 1 female 80s
DuPage County: 2 males 60s, 3 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 4 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s
Effingham County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
Greene County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Jackson County: 1 female 90s
Kane County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 70s, 4 males 80s, 2 females 90s
Kankakee County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
Kendall County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
Knox County: 2 females 80s
Lake County: 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 2 male 90s
LaSalle County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Lee County: 1 male 70s
Livingston County: 1 male 80s
Macon County: 3 males 60s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Madison County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Marion County: 1 female 70s
McDonough County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
McHenry County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
McLean County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
Morgan County; 1 male 80s
Moultrie County: 1 male 70s
Ogle County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Peoria County: 2 females 90s
Perry County: 1 male 80s
Pike County: 1 female 80s
Randolph County: 1 male 80s
Rock Island County: 1 male 70s
Sangamon County: 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
St. Clair County: 1 male 80s
Stephenson County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
Tazewell County: 1 male 50s, 2 females 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Vermilion County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s
Wabash County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 90s
Wayne County: 1 male 70s
White County: 1 male 80s
Whiteside County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 female 100+
Will County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Williamson County: 1 male 70s
Winnebago County: 1 male 50s, 2 males 80s
Woodford County: 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 621,383 cases, including 11,178 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 113,447 specimens for a total 9,472,674. As of last night, 6,037 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,192 patients were in the ICU and 587 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 12 – November 18, 2020 is 12.0%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 12 – November 18, 2020 is 14.0%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Yesterday’s indictment would’ve been during veto session, if it hadn’t been canceled. December 2nd would’ve been during the second week of the now-canceled fall session. I don’t know if that means anything. I’m just saying…
Defendants have a right to appear in person, but most likely this hearing will be held via video conference from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
The folks at ComEd were so eager to suck up to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan that they even allegedly fixed their internship program to give priority to kids from his 13th Ward.
Must have been nice for kids from the 13th Ward, who I don’t begrudge the opportunity, but it’s difficult to imagine the sense of entitlement behind such a demand.
It’s that sense of entitlement that lurks behind all the charges contained in Wednesday’s late-breaking indictment of four people accused of conspiring to corruptly influence Madigan to benefit the electric utility.
* While reading the indictments yesterday after also reading ComEd’s very similar deferred prosecution agreement earlier this year, I couldn’t help but think that ComEd and Exelon executives should’ve behaved more like the young manager of a new chain coffee shop in the Soprano’s neighborhood when Patsy and Burt walked in. Language alert for those of you who still actually work at an office these days…
Patsy [peering at name badge] Manager Adare. Welcome to the neighborhood. [shakes hands] We’re from the North Ward Merchants Protective Cooperative.
Manager: I’m kinda busy. Are you guys looking for a donation?
Burt: Let him finish.
Patsy: You may have noticed, not to denigrate anyone, but this is a transitional neighborhood; I mean, demographically speaking, you still have a lot of marginal types.
Burt: And we merchants have found that you really should have some round-the-clock security here.
Manager: Isn’t that what the police are for?
Patsy: They do their best but they got their hands full. Your weekly dues to us will give you all the supplemental safety net you’ll ever need.
Manager: I can’t authorize anything like that. It would have to go through Corporate in Seattle.
Patsy: We Merchants prefer to deal on a personal, one-on-one basis.
Manager: I don’t have any discretionary funds. It’s gotta go through Corporate.
Burt: How do you think Corporate would feel if, for the sake of argument, somebody threw a brick though that window?
Manager: They’ve got like 10,000 stores in North America. I don’t think they’d feel anything.
Patsy: [menacingly] What if, God forbid, it wasn’t just vandalism. What if an employee – even the manager, say – was assaulted?
Manager: Look, every last f___ing coffee bean is in the computer and has to be accounted for. If the numbers don’t add up, I’ll be gone and somebody else will be here
Patsy: [giving up, walks back outside with Burt in disgust and laments] It’s over for the little guy.
* Roundup…
* Madigan confidant and ex-ComEd CEO charged with bribery in lobbying scheme: Federal prosecutors marched deeper into House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle Wednesday, charging longtime confidant Michael McClain and ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore in a bribery scheme designed to curry favor with the powerful Southwest Side Democrat.
* Key Madigan Ally, ComEd Lobbyists And Official Indicted In Federal Bribery Scheme: The fifty-page indictment spans nine years of alleged wrongdoing by ComEd’s four representatives, shedding new light on actions first alleged in a deferred prosecution agreement against ComEd itself filed in July. Under the agreement, ComEd’s prosecution will be delayed for three years as the company cooperates in the investigation, and must pay a $200 million fine.
* Madigan confidant, three others indicted in ComEd bribery scheme allegedly aimed at influencing speaker: The indictment alleged that beginning in 2011, the defendants “arranged for various associates” of Madigan — including his political allies and campaign workers — to “obtain jobs, contracts, and monetary payments” from ComEd even in instances where they did little or no actual work. Madigan is referred to in the charges only as Public Official A.
* Indictments Hit Speaker Madigan’s Inner Circle, Former ComEd CEO: McClain purportedly served as both a go-between and a conductor who guided Prammagiore and Hooker to hire individuals and interns connected to the speaker, while Doherty used his lobbying firm to funnel money to Madigan allies even though they performed little or no work.
* Mike Madigan confidant and ex-ComEd CEO charged with bribery in lobbying scheme: In a statement, ComEd spokesperson Paul Elsberg said: “ComEd has already moved aggressively to implement comprehensive ethics and compliance reforms, and we’re committed to earning back the trust of the communities we’re privileged to serve. However, we’re not able to comment on specific matters related to these former ComEd executives or beyond what is in the statement of facts in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement.”
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan released the following statement Thursday:
The indictment returned Wednesday does not allege any criminal misconduct on my part. I have not been accused of or charged with any wrongdoing.
After a lengthy investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged, but of course has not proven, that certain ComEd employees, consultants, and lobbyists allegedly conspired with one another in the hope of somehow influencing me in my official capacity. Let me be clear: if that attempt ever happened, it was never made known to me. If it had been known to me, it would have been profoundly unwelcome. Nothing in either this indictment or in the earlier filings by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges otherwise. In addition, nothing in this indictment or in the earlier filings alleges that I did anything in my official capacity related to ComEd’s legislative agenda as a result of whatever internal decisions ComEd made or didn’t make. Any such allegation would be false. If there was an attempt to influence me in my official capacity, it failed, although knowing most of the people who were charged, I doubt there was any scheme as characterized by the government.
To the extent that anyone at ComEd or Exelon believed they could influence my conduct as a legislator by hiring someone I may have recommended, who worked for me, or who did political work for me, they were fundamentally mistaken. If they even harbored the thought that they could bribe or influence me, they would have failed miserably. I take offense at any notion otherwise. To the extent anyone may have suggested to others that I could be influenced, then they, too, were wrong. Had I known about it, I would have made every effort to put a stop to it.
The energy legislation cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office had the broad support of Democratic and Republican members, other legislative leaders, labor supporters, consumer advocates, and environmentalists. The bills could not have passed without such broad support, and they were the product of years of deliberation, negotiations, and consensus building. House Democrats won significant concessions, much to the chagrin of ComEd and Exelon, likely costing the companies millions of dollars in profits, all while acting in the best interests of our constituents and the ratepayers. It cannot be seriously said that my staff or I carried the banner for ComEd or Exelon on these bills. The 2016 FEJA bill, for example, would not have moved but for the intense involvement of Representative Durkin and former Governor Rauner.
I believe a large part of my duty as an elected official is to help people, and I’ve made that a priority since the day I took the oath of office. It has required drastic measures like taking on a billionaire governor bent on destroying unions and eliminating social services programs that our most vulnerable citizens rely on to survive day-to-day. It has also required attention to detail like removing gang graffiti from buildings and garages, connecting residents with services that can help improve their lives, helping students find internships, and recommending qualified people who are seeking employment. Helping people find jobs is not a crime. As I have stated before, I have never helped someone find a job with an expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by his or her employer. Anyone who has ever worked for or around me knows I value, above all else, hard work and dedication, whether it’s knocking on doors, collecting garbage, or representing a client. I have also never promised, implicitly or explicitly, to take any action benefiting a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person that I recommended. Nor have I ever recommended someone for a job with an expectation or understanding that the prospective employer would hire that person to reward me for an action it believed I took. I do not inquire into an employer’s rationale for making particular hiring decisions, nor do I treat that employer differently depending on those decisions. This has been my practice for decades.
If there was credible evidence that I had engaged in criminal misconduct, which I most certainly did not, I would be charged with a crime. But I have not, and with good reason because there is nothing wrong or illegal about making job recommendations, regardless of what people inside ComEd may have hoped to achieve from hiring some of the people who were recommended.
Nonetheless, even though I am not alleged to have done anything in my official capacity as Speaker of the House to assist ComEd and have not been accused of any wrongdoing, this investigation has been used as a political weapon by those who seek to have me step down. I anticipate some will be disappointed that I was not a party to this indictment and find it difficult to swallow the fact that I have not been accused of or charged with any wrongdoing. These same individuals will likely claim this indictment should end my tenure as a public official, even though it alleges no criminal conduct on my part, nor does it allege I had knowledge of any criminal conduct by others.
Some individuals have spent millions of dollars and worked diligently to establish a false narrative that I am corrupt and unethical. I have publicly ignored their antics because those who know me and work with me know that this rhetoric is simply untrue. The truth is that I have never engaged in any inappropriate or criminal conduct. Despite baseless speculation alluding to the contrary, I have always gone to great lengths to ensure my conduct is legal and ethical, and any claim to the contrary is patently false. I have always steadfastly worked to build a strong Democratic Party and House Democratic Caucus in an effort to help the hardworking people of Illinois.
This year has presented us with many challenges and we have always put the betterment of the people of Illinois first. We want to see our caucus go a new direction with different leadership. Therefore, we will not be supporting the current speaker for the 102nd General Assembly.
Representative Jonathan Carroll
57th District
Representative Sam Yingling
62nd District
That’s 14.
If everyone who has said they won’t vote for Madigan (8 plus today’s 2) or said he should step aside and let someone else take over (4) actually stick to their guns, Speaker Madigan is now at 59 for the January election. That’s one short of the 60 he needs to win another term.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Will Guzzardi makes 15…
In so many ways, our state is at a crossroads. We face unprecedented political, economic, social, and public health crises. And they are compounded by Illinoisans’ lack of faith in our government to lead our state fairly and ethically.
The charges announced last night only confirm what we already knew: the old ways of doing business in Springfield will not be adequate to rise to our present challenges. We will need new, transformative leadership to meet this moment.
I join many of my fellow House members in asking Rep. Madigan not to seek re-election as Speaker of the Illinois House. If he does, we will not be voting for him. And without our votes, we do not believe he will have the requisite number to be re-elected as Speaker.
It is time for our House Democratic Caucus to decide on new leadership for the 102nd General Assembly. This is a historic moment, and I look forward to the discussion with my colleagues on a transformative new direction for our Caucus.
…Adding… Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Terra Costa Howard, Maurice West, Bob Morgan, Anne Stava-Murray, Stephanie Kifowit and Lindsey LaPointe have all said they would not vote to reelect Madigan. Reps. Deb Conroy, Robyn Gabel, Anna Moeller and Ann Williams recently sent Madigan a letter asking him not to run again so somebody new could take his place. Add today’s three and that’s 15. The House Democrats will have 73 seats in the next General Assembly, so MJM is now two shy of the 60 he needs for reelection unless some folks get cold feet and flip back.
*** UPDATE 2 *** This seals it…
November 19, 2020
On November 8, 2020, we sent a letter to Speaker Madigan calling on him to step aside and make room for new leadership of the Illinois House in January. In the wake of yesterday’s expansive and far-reaching indictment, it has become even more clear that the Speaker will no longer be able to effectively lead the House Democratic caucus, and we will not be supporting him for Speaker.
We are committed to working collaboratively with our colleagues to identify the best path forward to protect working families, ensure access to healthcare, protect our environment and address other critical Democratic priorities.
Representative Deb Conroy - 46th District
Representative Robyn Gabel - 18th District
Representative Anna Moeller - 43rd District
Representative Ann M. Williams - 11th District
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Representative-elect Margaret Croke of Illinois’ 12th district will not support Speaker Michael Madigan’s reelection as the Speaker of the Illinois House.
Croke, who will represent Chicago’s near Northside, lakefront neighborhoods stated, “Given the incredible challenges facing our state, Springfield cannot afford distractions that take our focus off of meeting those challenges head-on.
We must do all that we can to restore people’s trust. Springfield needs to focus on helping people get through this pandemic and then restoring and rebuilding a better economy and state that works for everyone.
With change comes opportunity. Illinois has a diverse and majority-woman legislature. It is my hope that when I am sworn in to serve the 12th district, I will have an opportunity to cast my vote for a Speaker that represents the diversity of our state. We must then get to work restoring trust with voters and addressing the very serious and real challenges we face.”
Croke joins other notable representatives calling for a change in leadership.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Rep. Daniel Didech has also issued a statement. Click here to read it.
* I am absolutely fascinated by this press release. I had no idea that such a thing existed…
The State of Illinois today joined ADM and Innovafeed – leaders in production of animal nutrition and feed – in announcing major new plans to bring the world’s largest insect protein production to Decatur, Illinois. The facility will be owned and operated by the French insect producer Innovafeed and will co-locate with ADM’s Decatur corn processing complex, with ADM supplying feedstocks, waste heat and more. Together, these investments will bolster Illinois’ access to sustainable agriculture feed supply, while creating new jobs and advancing the growing agriculture industry in Illinois.
“InnovaFeed’s decision to bring their first ever international facility and state-of-the-art agriculture technology to Illinois is a vote of confidence for our state, and a win for our farming communities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois has always been a global leader in agriculture and technology, and we offer the resources to support this major international expansion – with an educated workforce, proximity to global businesses like ADM, and access to shipping and logistics. The investments InnovaFeed is making in Decatur will not only support our thriving agriculture industry – a cornerstone of our economy – but will unlock new well-paying jobs for our communities.”
“We are very pleased to launch this ambitious project, working alongside ADM and Illinois state partners as InnovaFeed expands to provide sustainable solutions to meet the fast-growing demand for insect feed in the US and worldwide,” said Clement Ray, CEO and co-founder of InnovaFeed. “Around the world, InnovaFeed is contributing to the emergence of sustainable food systems by developing a pioneering and sustainable industry. Our new operations in Illinois, a global leader and destination for agriculture, will allow us to take the next steps to innovate and grow our business.”
Insect feed has become an increasingly popular protein ingredient for agriculture and aquaculture industries, as demand for animal feed has now reached an all-time high and consumers look for food that is sustainably and responsibly grown. InnovaFeed already operates two insect production facilities in France, including what is today the world’s largest. The Decatur facility represents InnovaFeed’s first international project.
“At a time when the demand for animal feed protein is steadily increasing, insect farming stands out as a true solution for the future,” said Chris Cuddy, ADM senior vice president and president of the company’s Carbohydrate Solutions business. “We’re excited to work with InnovaFeed on this ambitious project, which further expands our participation in the growing market for animal food and feed that comes from responsible, sustainable sources. It is a great demonstration of how ADM is expanding its value chain by offering opportunities for collaboration to leading, innovative startups. It is yet another example of how we are constantly identifying new ways to create value from corn, oilseeds and more. And of course, we are extremely proud that we can help bring this new, job-creating project to Decatur, the home of our North American headquarters.”
Construction of the new high-capacity facility is expected to create more than 280 direct and 400 indirect jobs in the Decatur region by the second phase. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois workNet Center will partner with InnovaFeed to develop recruiting strategies as well as on-the-job training programs. DCEO partnered with InnovaFeed through an EDGE agreement to support this large-scale capital investment. Additionally, InnovaFeed will benefit from the Decatur-Macon County Enterprise Zone and customized incentive opportunities from the City of Decatur and Economic Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon County.
“Illinois remains open for business, and companies continue to choose Illinois for growth based on our industry strengths, talent, education and access to infrastructure,” said DCEO Director Erin B. Guthrie. “With agriculture a leading industry and employer for communities across our state, these investments by InnovaFeed to bring their one-of-a-kind technology will support our farmers and those who rely upon farms. We look forward to partnering with the company on ensuring our local residents have access to jobs and economic opportunity created by this exciting new project in Decatur.”
Construction is targeted to begin in 2021, pending necessary permitting and approvals. Construction and production will come in two phases. When both are complete, the plant would have a target annual production capacity of 60,000 metric tons of animal feed protein derived from Hermetia Illucens, a type of fly with exceptional nutritional qualities; the plant will also have the capability to produce 20,000 metric tons every year of oils for poultry and swine rations, and 400,000 metric tons of fertilizer.
“The city of Decatur is pleased to partner with InnovaFeed to bring this unique and innovative facility to our community,” said Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe. “Not only will this project fuel both direct and indirect job creation, but it affirms that our best prospects for creating new jobs are in the agri-business sector, in partnership with our existing businesses, in a city that is an ideal place for groundbreaking advanced manufacturing. ADM, the State of Illinois, the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon County, and the City of Decatur worked together to bring this plant to Decatur. Our concierge approach results in joint incentive opportunities to support InnovaFeed’s infrastructure and operational needs.”
The plant will be built using an innovative model of industrial collaboration that InnovaFeed has already demonstrated in other facilities enabling the French Biotech company to produce the insect protein with the lowest carbon footprint on the market. The plant will be co-located with ADM’s Decatur corn complex, with complementary infrastructure that will allow ADM to directly provide corn by-products to supply InnovaFeed’s innovative insect rearing process, as well as waste heat and steam. This collaborative operational model will enable the Innovafeed facility to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent versus standalone production.
Advancements in agriculture technology are a key component of Governor’s Pritzker’s 5-year economic growth plan – which prioritizes investments in high growth potential industry clusters, including agriculture, technology, manufacturing, life sciences, and more. Specifically, the plan seeks to boost growth in the agriculture sector by facilitating technology adoption, encouraging innovation, and boosting connections with global markets. With over $8.5 billion in agricultural exports annually, 27 million acres of farmland, and over 300,000 residents employed by this industry, Illinois is an agriculture powerhouse. To sustain the growth of the increasingly technology-oriented agriculture industry – Illinois is making significant infrastructure investments, including through its $400 million program to create universal basic broadband access, and with a series of infrastructure upgrade investments for ports and shipping hubs located across the state, as directed by the Governor’s historic $45 billion capital plan.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin released the following statement on the U.S. Attorney’s announcement of indictments against Speaker Madigan’s allies including Mike McClain, Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker and Jay Doherty:
“Today’s news makes it abundantly clear that the Democratic Party of Illinois, chaired and controlled by Speaker Madigan also known as Public Official A, is a corrupt organization that has run its course. For the past many months and years, Madigan’s apologists from the Governor to the rank-and-file House Democrats have turned a blind eye to his corrupt practices. Speaker Madigan and his long list of defenders need to be removed from power, and that starts with Chairman Welch reconvening the Special Investigating Committee immediately.”
JUST IN: @RayLong just got the exclusive react from Mike McClain's lawyer, the charges were “the result of a misguided investigation and misapplication of the law driven by an obvious desire to find some way to criminally implicate” Speaker Madigan.
The goal, according to Cotter, was the apply “maximum pressure on Mike McClain” in order to get to Madigan, something he is unwilling to help with. “Mike McClain cannot agree to allegations that are untrue, even to escape the crippling weight of the government’s attacks."
"After enduring months of baseless innuendo and misinformation, Pramaggiore … is confident a review will reaffirm her unwavering adherence to the highest ethical standards and finally put to rest the damaging speculation that any actions she took constitute illegal activity."
From Jay Doherty's attorneys, Mike Gillespie and Gabrielle Sansonetti: "Mr. Doherty was just made aware that he’s been indicted. He intends to plead not guilty because he is not guilty of these charges."
*** UPDATE *** Here’s the full McClain statement from Pat Cotter…
During his career of more than 50 years, Mike McClain has served the people of the State of Illinois both as a public servant and an advocate. He is an honest and honorable man – as everyone who has worked with him well knows.
The charges filed today by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois are the result of a misguided investigation and misapplication of the law, driven by an obvious desire to find some way to criminally implicate a current elected official, who happens to be Mike McClain’s longtime friend.
In its zeal to find any evidence of criminal misconduct by that official, the Government is attempting to rewrite the law on bribery and criminalize long-recognized legitimate, common, and normal lobbying activity into some new form of crime. The goal of these meritless charges is clear: to apply maximum pressure on Mike McClain, and others, to help the Government in its efforts against his friend. But Mike McClain cannot agree to allegations that are untrue, even to escape the crippling weight of the Government’s attacks.
Mike McClain absolutely denies that he has committed any crime, and he will fight these charges as long as it takes, and as long as his age and health allow, to restore his well-earned honest and honorable reputation.
Former Commonwealth Edison executives, including the former Chief Executive Officer, conspired with outside consultants to corruptly influence and reward a high-level elected official for the State of Illinois to assist with the passage of legislation favorable to the electric utility company, according to an indictment returned today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The indictment charges four individuals with bribery conspiracy, bribery, and willfully falsifying ComEd books and records:
· MICHAEL McCLAIN, 73, of Quincy, Ill. McClain worked as a lobbyist and/or consultant for ComEd after serving in the Illinois House of Representatives in the 1970s and early 1980s.
· ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, 62, of Barrington, Ill. Pramaggiore was CEO of ComEd from 2012 to 2018, and later served as a senior executive at an affiliate of Exelon Corp., of which ComEd was a subsidiary.
· JOHN HOOKER, 71, of Chicago, Ill. Hooker served as ComEd’s executive vice president of legislative and external affairs from 2009 to 2012, after which he worked as an external lobbyist for ComEd.
· JAY DOHERTY, 67, of Chicago, Ill. Doherty owned Jay D. Doherty & Associates, which performed consulting services for ComEd from approximately 2011 to 2019.
Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Matthew L. Kutcher, and Michelle Kramer.
According to the charges, the defendants’ efforts to influence and reward the high-level elected official – identified in the indictment as “Public Official A” – began in or around 2011 and continued through in or around 2019. During that time, Public Official A controlled what measures were called for a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives and exerted substantial influence over fellow lawmakers concerning legislation affecting ComEd, the indictment states. The charges allege that the defendants conspired to corruptly influence and reward Public Official A by arranging for jobs and contracts for Public Official A’s political allies and workers, even in instances where those people performed little or no work that ComEd purportedly hired them to perform. The defendants allegedly created and caused the creation of false contracts, invoices, and other books and records to disguise the true nature of some of the payments and to circumvent internal controls at ComEd.
In addition to the jobs and contracts, the indictment alleges that the defendants undertook other efforts to influence and reward Public Official A, including causing ComEd to retain a particular outside law firm favored by Public Official A and to accept into ComEd’s internship program a certain amount of students who resided in the Chicago ward associated with Public Official A. Pramaggiore and McClain also allegedly took steps to have an individual appointed to ComEd’s Board of Directors at the request of Public Official A and McClain, the indictment states.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
An ex-powerful Springfield lobbyist and confidant of House Speaker Michael Madigan has been charged with bribery in a criminal case in Chicago, along with the former ComEd CEO, a top ComEd lobbyist and the ex-head of the City Club.
Named in the indictment are Michael McClain, Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker and Jay Doherty.
More…
The indictment also alleges the four falsified ComEd's books and records. And here it says they referred to Public Official A — known to be House Speaker Michael Madigan — as "our Friend" or "a Friend of ours" rather than use his true name. pic.twitter.com/2yMveTnGRB
corruptly solicit and demand, and to accept and agree to accept from another person things of value, namely, jobs, contracts, and monetary payments associated with those jobs and contracts, for the benefit of Public Official A and his associates, intending that Public Offlcial A, an agent of the State of Illinois, be influenced and rewarded in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving things of value of $5,000 or more, namely, legislation affecting ComEd and its business, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(aX1)(B);
to corruptly give, offer, and agree to give things of valu6, nameiy, jobs, contracts, and monetary pa;rments associated with those jobs and contracts, for the benefit of Public Offlcia] A and his associates, with intent to influence and reward Public Official A, as an agent of the State of Illinois, in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving things of value of $5,000 or more, namely, legislation affecting ComEd and its business, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(2); and
knowingly and willfully to circumvent a system of internal accounting controls and to falsify any book, record, and account of Exelon and ComEd, in violation of Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78m(bX5) and 78ff(a).
It was part of the consplvacy that, for the purpose of influeneing and rewarding Pubiic Official A in connection with his offrcial duties as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and to assist ComEd with respect to the passage of legislation favorable to ComEd and its business and the defeat of legislation unfavorabie to ComEd and its business, the conspirators (i) anranged for various associates of Public Official A, including Public Official A’s political allies and individuals who performed political work for Public Official A, to obtain jobs, contracts, and monetary payments associated with those jobs and contracts from ComEd and its affiliates, even in instances where such associates performed little or no work that they were purportedly hired to perform for ComEd; and (ii) created and caused the creation of false contracts, invoices and other books and records to disguise the true nature of certain of the payments and to circumvent internal controls.
* And then there are specific instances. Here are some headlines with a little context…
Hiring of Publie Official A’s Associates as Vendor “Subeontraetors” Who Performed Little or No Work for ComEd
Public Official A and McCLAIN sought to obtain from ComEd jobs, vendor contracts and subcontracts, as well as monetary payments for various associates of Public Official A, including Public Official A’s political allies and individuals who performed political work for Public Official A, such as ward precinct captains who worked within Public Offieial A’s district.
Retention of Law Firm A
[Appears to be Victor Reyes’ law firm which got its hours cut]
Thirteenth Ward Interns
It was further part of the conspiracy that potential Thirteenth Ward interas identified by McCLAIN did not need to compete against the general intern applicant pool, and instead, received more favorable treatment when it came to assessing their qualifications for a position within the ComEd Internship Program. … It was further part of the conspiracy that ComEd’s minimum academic requirements for intern candidates, such as a minimum required grade point average, were waived at times for certain Thirteenth Ward intern candidates who did not meet those requirements.
Apoointment to ComEd Board
[Juan Ochoa]
Hiring of Other Individuals
It was further part of the conspiracy that, in order to conceal the nature and purpose of their conduct, conspirators often referred to Public Offlcial A as “our Friend,” or “a Friend of ours,” rather than using Public Official A’s true name.
* “Overt Acts”…
On or about each date set forth below, defendants caused payments to be made to [Jay D. Doherty & Associates] in the approximate amount set forth below, with a substantial portion of each payment intended for associates of Public Official A […]
On or about each date set forth below, defendant DOHERTY caused a check to be made to [the Alderman for the Thirteenth Ward from in or around 1994 until on or about Aprii 30, 2011] in the approximate amount set forth below, for payments totaling approximately $256,000 […]
On or about each date set forth below, defendant DOHERTY caused a check to be made to Individual 13W-2’s [13th Ward precinct captain] company in the approximate amount set forth below, for payments totaling approximately $325,000 […]
On or about each date set forth below, defendant DOHERTY caused a check to be made to Individual 13W-3 [13th Ward precinct captain] in the approximate amount set forth below, for payments totaling approximately $144,000 […]
On or about February 25, 2015,McCLAIN sent an email to Marquez, in which he wrote, “Our Friend’s ward? Summer interns? 10 jobs or 12 or what is the ceiling? Best, Mike.”
On or about April 2, 2015, in response to an email asking whether there was pressure to hire a prospective intern associated with the Thirteenth Ward, or whether the intern could simply be “fairly considered” for the ComEd Internship Program, Marquez wrote an email that said, “There is pressure to hire Hope she interviews well.”
On or about April 29, 2015, Marqaez forwarded an email to MeCLAIN, advising that a candidate McCLAIN had referred to ComEd for the ComEd Internship Program had been hired.
On or about January 20, 2076, McCLAIN wrote an email to PRAMAGGIORE and HOOKER that said the following: “I am sure you know how valuable [Lawyer A] is to our Friend,” and then went on to write, “I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involve [sic] and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he wilI go to our Friend. Our Friend will cail me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through? For me, Hook and I am sure you I just do not understand why we have to spend valuable minutes on items like this when we know it will provoke a reaction from our Friend.”
On or about January 20,2016, PRAMAGGIORE wrote an email to McCLAIN, in response to the email referenced in paragraph 28(h) and responded, “Sorry. No one informed me. I am on this.”
On or about January 20, 2016, PRAMAGGIORE forwarded the email referenced in paragraph 28(h) to Marquez.
On or about January 20,2016, PRAMAGGIORE forwarded the email referenced in paragraph 28(h) to an employee in ComEd’s legal department.
On or about February 25, 2016, McCLAIN wrote an emaii to Marquez, in which McCLAIN advised that “the 13th Ward may not want these people in their column,” in reference to ComEd counting interns that returned to the ComEd Internship Program against the number of spaces allotted to individuals from the Thirteenth Ward.
On or about April 15,2016, McCLAIN wrote an email to ComEd’s project manager for FEJA with the subject heading, “[Lawyer A] law firm?!”
On or about May 22,2016, the project manager for FEJA wrote an email to a member of ComEd’s legal department that asked, in reference to Law Firm A, “Are we closed out on this topic?”
On or about May 24,2016, McCLAIN wrote an email to a member of ComEd’s legal department, HOOKER, and the project manager for FEJA, in which MeCLAIN proposed terms for the renewal of Law Firm A’s contract with ComEd.
On or about December 2, 20L6, McCLAIN wrote an email to a member of ComEd’s legal department, in which McCLAIN followed up on a prior email concerning Law Firm A, and asked “After you catch a couple of good nights [sic] sleep can we put this item to bed?”
On or about December 3,2016, PRAMAGGIORE sent an email to McCLAIN in which she assured McCLAIN that she would resolve outstanding issues relating to Law Firm A’s contract, by noting, “Fidel and I are meeting on Monday to make our list. This will be on it.”
In or around January 2017, in connection with the renewal of JDDA’s contract, PRAMAGGIORE signed a false and misleading document, known as a “Single Source Justification,” in support of the renewal of JDDA’s [Doherty’s] contract and caused it to be submitted to Exelon Business Services. This Single Source Justification form made it falsely appear that the large amount of money to be paid to JDDA under the contract was on account of, among other things, JDDA’s “unique insight & perspective to promote ComEd and its business matters to further develop, execute and manage its Government Relations presence” and did not indicate that a substantial amount of the fees that would be paid to JDDA was intended for third parties in an effort to influence and reward Public Official A.
On or about February 9, 2017, McCLAIN sent an email to Marquez’s assistant, in which McCLAIN wrote that it was his understanding that the Thirteenth Ward would be provided ten positions in the ComEd Internship Program: “[F]or as long as I can remember it has been ten interns??”
On or about February L2,2018, Marquez caused an email to be sent by his assistant to McCLAIN, in which the assistant wrote, “Confirmed with Fidel we will work to provide you 10 slots.”
On or about May 2,2018, McCLAIN placed a call to Public Official A, and advised Public Official A that PRAMAGGIORE was experiencing push-back to the appointment of Individual BM-1 to the ComEd board of directors, and had proposed finding a job that would pay Individual BM-1 the same amount of money as a board member. [Emphasis added because this seems to be new.]
On or about May 16, 2018, McCLAIN placed a telephone call to PRAMAGGIORE, during which call PRAMAGGIORE advised McCLAIN that (i) she had instructed Marquez to “hire” Individual2SW-1 after checking with DOHERTY; and (ii) she would, at Public Official A’s request, “keep pressing” to appoint Individual BM-1 to the ComEd board of directors.
On or about May 16, 2018, McCLAIN placed a telephone call to Marquez, during which McCLAIN explained why certain individuals were being paid indirectly through JDDA, by making reference to their utility to Public Official A’s political operation, and advised Marquez that Individual23W-1 should be paid $5,000 a month.
On or about June 29, 2018, DOHERTY caused an email to be sent to a ComEd employee, which made it falsely appear that the justification for an additional $5,000 a month sought underJDDA’s revised contract was because JDDA would assume an “expanded role with Cook County Board President’s office and Cook County Commissioners and Department Heads,” when in fact the additional $5,000 a month in compensation sought was intended for pa;rment to Individual 23W-1, who performed little or no work forJDDA or ComEd.
On or about September 7,2018, MeCLAIN and PRAMAGGIORE parbicipated in a telephone call, during which PRAMAGGIORE assured McCLAIN that PRAMAGGIORE was continuing to advocate for the appointment of Individual BM-1 to ComEd’s board of directors and explained “You take good care of me and so does our friend and I witl do the best that I can to, to take care of you.”
On or about December 6,2018, McCLAIN sent an email to Marquez and others at ComEd, in which McCLAIN advised, in reference to the ComEd Internship Program, “f am pretty sure the ‘ask’ will be to ‘put aside’ or’save’ ten summer jobs for the 13th Ward.”
On or about January 29, 20L9, HOOKER traveled to the Union League Club, in Chicago, Illinois for the purpose of meeting with Marquez to discuss the renewal of the JDDA contract.
On or about February 7,2019, McCLAIN traveled to a restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, for the purpose of meeting with Marquez to discuss the renewal of the JDDA contract.
On or about February 13,2019, DOHERTY met with Marquez in Chicago, Illinois, and discussed how to present information to ComEd’s chief executive officer concerning the renewal of the JDDA contract.
On or about February 18,2019, PRAMAGGIORE participated in a telephone call with Marquez, during which call, afber she was told that the subcontractors associated with DOHERTY just “collect a check” and that Marquez needed to brief the chief executive officer of ComEd coneerning the JDDA contract, PRAMAGGIORE advised Marquez not to make any changes to the contract, because “we do not want to get caught up in a, you know, disruptive battle where, you know, somebody gets their nose out of joint and we’re tryrng to move somebody off, and then we get forced to give ‘em a five-year contract because we’re in the middle of needing to get something done in Springfield.”
In or around March 2019, in connection with the renewal of JDDA’s contract, the defendants caused the preparation of a false and misleading document, known as a “Single Source Justification,” in support of the renewal of JDDA’s contract, and the submission of this form to Exelon Business Services. This Single Source Justification form made it falsely appear that the large amount of money to be paid to JDDA was because, among other things, “Consultant has specific knowledge that cannot be sources [sic] from another supplier/contractor,” and did not indicate that a substantial amount of the fees that would be paid to JDDA was intended for third parties in an effort to influence and reward Public Official A.
On or about March 5,2079,McCLAIN met with a ComEd executive and Marquezfor the purpose of explaining why the JDDA contract and the payments to Individual 13W-1, Individual 13W-2, and Individual 23W-1 should be continued for another year.
On or about March 17,2019, DOHERTY caused a representative from Exelon Business Services to execute a contract containing false representations and promises that the compensation paid to JDDA was in return for providing ComEd with advice on legislative issues, when in fact a significant portion of the compensation to be paid to JDDA was intended for Individual 13W-1, Individual 13W-2, and Individual 23W- 1 [former Ald. Zalewski], who in fact did little or no legitimate work for ComEd.
On or about April }I,?}L},PRAMAGGIORE advised McCLAIN by text message, “Just sent out Board approval to appoint [Individual BM-l] to ComEd Board.”
On or about April 26,2019, ComEd filed a notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stating that Individual BM-1 had served as a director of ComEd since April2019.
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371and2.
* Count 2…
MICHAEL McCLAIN, and ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, defendants herein, corruptly offered and agreed to give a thing of value, and caused ComEd to offer and agree to give a thing of value, namely, a contract for Law Firm A and monetary payments associated with that contract, for the benefit of Public Offrcial A and his associate, Lawyer A, with intent to influence and reward Pubtic Official A, as an agent of the State of Illinois, in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely, legislation affecting ComEd and its business;
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 666(a)(2) and2
* Count 3…
MICHAEL MCCLAIN, ANNE PRAMAGGIORE JOHN HOOKER, and
JAY DOHERTY, defendants herein, knowingly and willfully falsified and caused to be falsified certain ComEd and Exelon books, records, and accounts, so that those books, records, and accounts did not in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of ComEd’s and Exelon’s assets, namely, in connection with the renewal of
JDDA’s contract for 2077;
In violation of Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78m(bX5) and 78ff(a), and
Title L8, United States Code, Section 2.
* Count 4…
MICHAEL MCCLAIN, ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, JOHN HOOKER, and JAY DOHERTY, defendants herein, knowingly and willfuIly falsified and caused to be falsified certain ComEd and Exelon books, records, and accounts, so that those books, records, and accounts did not in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of ComEd’s and Exelon’s assets, namely, in eonnection with the renewal of JDDA’s contract for 2018;
In violation of Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78m(b)(5) and 78ff(a), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
* Count 5…
MICHAEL McCLAIN, and ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, defendants herein, corruptly offered and agreed to give a thing of value, and caused ComEd and Exelon to offer and agree to give a thing of value, namely, a position on the ComEd board of directors and monetary payments associated with that position, for the benefit of Public Official A and his associate, Individual BM-1, with intent to influence and reward Public Official A, as an agent of the State of Illinois, in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely,legislation affecting ComEd and its business;
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 666(aX2) and2.
* Count 6…
MICHAEL McCLAIN, and ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, defendants herein, corruptly offered and agreed to give a thing of value, and caused ComEd to offer and agree to give a thing of value, namely, payments of $5,000 a month, for the benefit of Public Official A and his associate, Individual 23W-1, with intent to influence and reward Public Offrcial A, as an agent of the State of Illinois, in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely,Iegislation affecting ComEd and its business;
In violation of Title 18, united states code, sections 666(aX2) and2.
* Count 7…
MICHAEL MCCLAIN, ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, JOHN HOOKER, and JAY DOHERTY, defendants herein, knowingiy and willfully falsified and caused to be falsified certain ComEd and Exelon books, records, and accounts, so that those books, records, and accounts did not in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of ComEd’s and Exelon’s assets, namely, in connection with the amendment of JDDA’s contract for 2018;
In violation of Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78m(b)(5) and 78ff(a), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
* Count 8…
MICHAEL MCCLAIN, ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, JOHN HOOKER, and JAY DOHERTY, defendants herein, corruptly offered and agreed to give a thing of value, and caused ComEd to offer and agree to give a thing of value, namely, a new annual contract for JDDA and monetary payments associated with that contract, for the benefrt of Public Official A and his associates, Individuai 13W-1, Individual 13W-2, and Individual2SW-1, with intent to influence and reward Public Offlcial A, as an agent of the State of Illinois, in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely,legislation affecting ComEd and its business;
In violation of Title 18, united states code, sections 666(a)(2) and}.
* Count 9…
MICHAEL MCCLAIN, ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, JOHN HOOKER, and JAY DOHERTY, defendants herein, knowingly and willfully falsified and caused to be falsified certain ComEd and Exelon books, records, and accounts, so that those books, records, and accounts did not in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of ComEd’s and Exelon’s assets, namely, in connection with the renewal of JDDA’s contract for 2019;
In violation of Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78m(b)(5) and 78ff(a), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
In Chicago, 18th Ward Republican precinct committeeman Devin Jones said on election day he saw improper handling of ballots, poll workers trying to change ballots and Dominion machine malfunctions.
“They had ballots all over the place,” Jones said in an interview. “They had ballots on the desk where people checked in, they were eating chicken with the ballots sitting right there. They had ballots on a chair, under someone’s coat.”
“At this one particular precinct they were trying to redo the ballot, like remake the ballot [after someone left], which is not the proper process,” Jones said.
“I know we use Dominion in Chicago and I know that at more than half the predictions there were issues with the counter, the machine that you slide the ballots in which is how these people were able to have all these ballots laying around at different places,” Jones said. “A lot of the stuff I saw was these counter machines not working.”
Jones said he reported his findings to authorities but says he never got any follow up.
* I checked with the Chicago Board of Elections’ Jim Allen and asked if the report had actually been made…
No such complaint was filed with the Board. The Board keeps a database of all calls received on Election Day. Not one even resembles these allegations.
This did not happen and here’s why:
The ballot scanner captures an image of each ballot at the time the ballot is cast by the voter.
If anyone were to try to “remake” ballots after voters left or make additional ballots, that would not erase the original scanned images of the voters’ ballots. Instead, it would add scanned images and votes — and then create a discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and the applications for ballots (both paper and electronic poll book).
No such discrepancy occurred.
Further, that kind of a discrepancy would stand out like a sore thumb even more so this election, because more than two-thirds of the ballots in Chicago were cast before Election Day via Early Voting and Vote By Mail — and less than one third were cast in the precincts on Election Day. As detailed in the attached turnout report, that pattern held true in the 18th Ward. The turnouts in the 18th Ward also were comparable to turnouts in surrounding wards and the rest of the city.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,922 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 140 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 90s
- Bureau County: 1 female 90s
- Champaign County: 1 female 100+
- Clinton County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Coles County: 1 male 90s
- Cook County: 2 males 30s, 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 4 males 50s, 7 females 60s, 13 males 60s, 10 females 70s, 9 males 70s, 6 females 80s, 13 males 80s, 6 females 90s, 4 males 90s, 1 male 100+
- DeWitt County: 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s, 2 males 90s
- Effingham County: 1 male 90s
- Fayette County: 1 male 80s
- Franklin County: 1 male 90s
- Greene County: 1 male 90s
- Jackson County: 1 male 70s
- Kendall County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 90s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s
- Livingston County: 1 male 60s
- Logan County: 1 male 80s
- Macon County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 90s
- McDonough County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- McHenry County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 90s
- Ogle County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 90s
- Peoria County: 2 females 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 70s
- Stephenson County: 1 female 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 90s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
- Warren County: 1 female 80s
- Wayne County: 1 male 90s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Williamson County: 1 male 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 606,771 cases, including 11,014 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 103,569 specimens for a total 9,359,227. As of last night, 5,953 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,146 patients were in the ICU and 547 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 11 – November 17, 2020 is 11.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 11 – November 17, 2020 is 14.2%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Today would’ve been Steve Schnorf’s 76th birthday. I never met anybody who knew more about the operation of state government than Steve. Man, we could use a man like that today.
He was also incredibly kind-hearted and took great pride in mentoring young people.
I met a lady on a plane last year who told me a great Schnorf story. She was working at a Springfield hotel many years ago and Schnorf was a guest. On one particularly cold day, Schnorf walked out to his car then returned to the lobby and asked the manager if he could get some help starting his car. His battery was dead and he needed a jump. The manager gruffly refused, but the woman behind the counter (the lady I met on the plane) said she’d lend a hand.
They got Schnorf’s car started and he drove off. The lady said she was a bit miffed that he didn’t even thank her.
Later, Schnorf approached the same lady and asked if she liked her job at the hotel. Oh, yes, she said. She loved her job. Schnorf then asked if she’d like to work at the secretary of state’s office (he was a Jim Edgar bigwig at the time). She said yes, and he set her up with a gig and she worked for him the rest of his time in government.
She told me she eventually asked Schnorf why he offered her a job. He said something along the lines of: “If you could enjoy working for that [expletive deleted] manager, I figured you’d do fine working for me.”
* I think of Steve almost every single day. Oscar loved him, too. From 2016…
I’m asking for help for my good friend Mbanna Kantako who lost EVERYTHING he owns due to a house fire. He is an amazing friend, father, uncle, brother and much more. He is a positive role model in the community. He has given back over and over again. He started better life better living for kids a non-profit organization that did tons of stuff for the children in our community. He also organized a clean up the east side project amongst many others. Now he needs you! He has worked very hard to put himself through school in which he earned a masters degree. He has a 1 year old son and a baby due any day. He lost EVERYTHING. Please donate to help this wonderful man any amount will help. He has to start all over with nothing but the clothes on his back! LET’S SHOW HIM SOME OF THE LOVE HE SHOWS EVERYONE ELSE
Mbanna is Sen. Emil Jones III’s legislative assistant. He could really use your help, so let’s do what we always do here and help him and his family recover from this. Please, click here.
With the coronavirus spreading uncontrolled across nearly the entire country, many public health experts are urging Americans to cancel their Thanksgiving gathering plans.
But not everyone is taking this advice to heart: Roughly 40 percent plan to attend a Thanksgiving gathering with 10 or more people, according to a recent survey commissioned by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Peer-reviewed risk assessment data produced by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that many of those big events may become coronavirus super-spreaders. Drawing on public data sets, the Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool produces daily county-level estimates of the odds of encountering at least one coronavirus-positive person at a gathering of 10 or more people.
There is no scientific data that supports lower occupancy limits or for keeping restaurants closed to indoor dining.
Joe, the more people who are in an enclosed space, the more likely it is that somebody will catch a virus - any virus, not just COVID-19. It’s not just science, it’s simple common sense, man.
On the same day local enforcement began of COVID-19 mitigations aimed at bars and restaurants, the Sangamon County Department of Public Health released contact tracing data Friday showing where people who tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts had been the two weeks prior to the positive test.
A Highland, Illinois attorney who has been giving Governor J.B. Pritzker grief with multiple lawsuits around the state appeared in Jacksonville last night at Bogart’s Banquet Hall to explain to bar & restaurant owners their rights according to their businesses and the state’s ability or inability to close them under current executive orders. There were approximately 70 people in attendance from Morgan, Cass, Greene, Sangamon, and Macon counties – many of whom were bar & restaurant owners. […]
DeVore said near the end of the presentation that bars and restaurant owners should stay open whether ticketed or not and continue moving forward. He implored businesses to not give into what he called fear tactics and shoddy statistics surrounding COVID-19 being distributed by the media and state government, and to take their fights to the courts if they have to.
1) If “giving Governor J.B. Pritzker grief” equals “losing a bunch of cases, then that lede is spot on;
2) Following DeVore’s sage advice to remain open resulted in the ordered closure of several of his restaurant clients yesterday…
A Sangamon County judge Tuesday granted the Sangamon County Department of Public Health a temporary restraining order against four Springfield restaurants operating without food permits.
Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow’s ruling goes against D&J Café , also known as DJ’s Café, 915 W. Laurel St.; Charlie Parker’s, 700 W. North St.; Fox Run Restaurant & Lounge, 1130 Legacy Pointe Drive and Sweet Basil Café , 4241 Conestoga Drive. All four restaurants had their food permits suspended by Public Health Sunday. […]
All five were serving indoor diners Sunday in defiance of the mitigations prohibiting indoor dining that went into effect Friday.
Three of the restaurants, D&J Café, Fox Run and Sweet Basil, had been fined also last week.
Wilhite confirmed that the owners of the suspended restaurants have requested hearings with the board of health, though their doors will remain shut in the meantime.
* Gov. Pritzker’s chief of staff Anne Caprara on Twitter yesterday…
I want to take a moment today to talk about how the right wing misinformation machine works, how it churns up outrage, how supposedly “civil” Republicans fuel it…and what the real world consequences are for innocent people caught in its trap.
Last week a ton of people sent me a screenshot from a Twitter/Instagram account called @deuxmoiworld. They track supposed celebrity sightings - basically a completely unverifiable gossip account.
The particular post in question claimed to be a picture of the daughter of @GovPritzker
at a restaurant in Chicago seated outside in a large group of people for a birthday party. Only problem is that’s not the Governor’s daughter (and doesn’t even look like her.)
I dutifully clarified this for people sending me the picture but, like clockwork, it soon made its way to the army of Twitter trolls invested in combatting the Governor’s Covid mitigations. Kicked off with tweets like this…
Putting aside the absurdity of the statements made in this tweet and the fact that this account self identifies as a “parody” account - the right wing media machine took the picture and ran with it as fact.
Our friends at a local “news” radio show trolled Chicago doctors trying to correct misinformation with the fake picture. The statewide network of propaganda publications (recently profiled by the @nytimes for their spread of disinformation) posted this article…
Real news publications mostly ignored this or helped debunk it - but unfortunately their reach is much more limited than the right wing online outrage machine.
And then there is GOP state Senator-elect Darren Bailey who shared the “news” on his Facebook page - truly helping spread the lies about the Governor’s daughter to a whole new reach of people.
And so over this past week, @GovPritzker HIGH SCHOOL age daughter started getting hateful and threatening DM’s on her social media accounts directly linked to the pic - prompting her parents to spend the weekend trying to make hard decisions about her safety & welfare.
Which brings us to [Monday] when the Governor got a (legitimate) question at his press conference about where he was celebrating Thanksgiving. He’s human, he & the First Lady hadn’t made a decision yet about how they were dealing with Thanksgiving, & he gave an unsure answer.
Here is where the right wing outrage machine really grinds into action, breaking through to “mainstream” Republicans. @RodneyDavis - who likes to talk a lot about “civility” - posted this after the presser yesterday
This is from the Congressman’s official Twitter account. It’s nice how he added the coda about where he will be celebrating - just to really twist the knife. Super civil. Lest you think this is an errant tweet - his account reposted it today
Then there was this FB post from the ambulance chasing lawyer who has gone all around IL trying to invalidate the Governor’s Covid orders (unsuccessfully - he’s been beaten in almost every case) - offering $1000 bounty for pics of the Gov celebrating Thanksgiving with his family
A bounty. A BOUNTY. For pics of the Governor’s family. In a post that was shared over 1000 times. Who do you think that incites?
I see the threats that come in to our office ever day. The governor is like every other father who loves his children, and hurts when they hurt and gets angry when his children are threatened.
I agree wholeheartedly that the Governor (and his family) should live by the rules he sets for the state. But notice how no rules have been broken here, just a lot of lies and innuendo that by the time it reaches Joe Q. Citizen look real.
And given credence and validity when - say - the Illinois GOP’s official Twitter account posts things like this:
I realize people think every single thing an elected official does is scripted down to the moment. It’s not. And right now, in the middle of this pandemic, we are lucky if we find time for meals - much less the full time image machine some folks seem to expect.
Notice also how supposedly responsible office holders jump to spread the innuendo - and will do nothing to correct the spread of lies when they are called out. Notice how we went from a fake picture to “GOVERNOR PRITZKER IS BREAKING THE RULES!!”
At the heart of this is a kid. A teenager. Who has every right to expect privacy no matter who her Dad is. This didn’t used to be controversial! When did we lose the common decency to keep kids off the table??
There is also a sentiment amongst some political folks and journalists that elected officials need to just ignore these things. That they should expect social media attacks on their family. And that they shouldn’t do anything to try & combat them bc that just fuels the machine.
That might have been true at some point - but it isn’t anymore. I’ve seen firsthand how things have gotten out of control. Elected officials can’t be silent anymore - we are charging towards a dangerous place. And we need to start calling a spade a spade.
I don’t have great answers for how we solve this. But we at least need to start combatting it aggressively and stop pretending that the misinformation spread online doesn’t matter or doesn’t hurt people.
“I can handle people throwing my face up on anti-Semitic picket signs likening me to Hitler,” he said. “This kind of vitriol is apparently what I have to deal with to keep the state and its people safe, but my kids are off limits.”
Pritzker’s comments drew support from Republicans circles, too. Rep. Grant Wehrli tweeted: “I do not agree with Gov. Pritzker on much. I do 100% agree with him that a politician’s family is off limits. They are not in the arena and already have a difficult task. They should damn well be left alone by everyone.”
Also on Tuesday came the revelation that four more House lawmakers — Reps. Deb Conroy (46th), Robyn Gabel (18th), Rep. Anna Moeller (43rd) and Rep. Ann Williams (11th) — recently sent a letter to Madigan telling him it was time for new leadership. Rich Miller’s Capitol Fax blog first reported it.
A source tells Playbook that the foursome didn’t intend to go public with their message to Madigan, and they still aren’t releasing the letter.
Instead, they issued a statement Tuesday saying: “Ensuring that the voters have confidence in their elected leaders at all levels of government is of the utmost importance to us. The conversation about the leadership of the Illinois House is a critical one, especially during this time of unprecedented crisis in the state of Illinois. We will continue to work internally within the House Democratic caucus to determine the future of our leadership while working to restore public trust.”
The four reps join eight others who have already said they aren’t backing Madigan. The opponents to Madigan expect one more representative to step forward. That would leave Madigan with a 60 to 13 vote, if it were held today.
I think there’s more than one, but we’ll see who steps forward and when. And we’ll see where this latest twist goes.
The four reps did not make public the text of their letter, which reportedly stops short of explicitly saying they’ll vote for someone else for speaker in January if Madigan, now 78, seeks a new term. The letter was first reported by Capitol Fax. […]
Springfield insiders I’ve spoken with say it’s too early to count out Madigan, who retains strong support from organized labor and most members of the black and Latino caucuses, despite Madigan being under federal investigation in the ComEd bribery probe.
But they also indicate that his rule is in real jeopardy.
“He’s got nine lives, so he’s not gone yet,” one veteran House member told me. Still, that source added, the letter “is not great for his prospects.”
