* Press release…
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.”
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* Hmm…
* And…
* And…
*** 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.
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* Again, the indictment is here. Press release…
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.
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* Steve Warmbir…
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…
This post will be updated.
*** UPDATE *** The indictment is here.
The indictment says the defendants conspired to…
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
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.
That’s all 9 counts.
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No evidence of claimed irregularity
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a Center Square article entitled “Precinct committeeman saw ballots ‘all over the place’ while state board says no problems reported”…
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 attachment is here.
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8,922 new confirmed and probable cases, 140 additional deaths, 5,953 hospitalized, 1,146 in ICU, 11.9 percent case positivity rate, 14.2 percent test positivity rate, Illinois surpasses 11,000 deaths
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The grim press release…
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.
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Remembering Schnorf and helping Kantako
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 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 told you that story so I could soften you up for this GoFundMe plea…
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.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Washington Post…
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.
I posted the Georgia Tech county map the other day, but you can click here to refresh your memory if needed.
* The Question: What are your Thanksgiving gathering plans, if any?
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Unclear on the concept
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford)…
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.
Also…
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.
Restaurants and bars top the list
* This WLDS story from yesterday afternoon did not age well..
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.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Supreme Court transferred all of the in-person dining cases to Judge Grischow’s court.
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Anatomy of a smear
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 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.
Today, @GovPritzker clarified his plans with this statement (which you should read before moving on): https://capitolfax.com/2020/11/17/pritzker…
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.
* And then there was this…
“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.”
Uh, Grant?…
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* I told subscribers about this yesterday and then updated them this morning…
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.
* Crain’s…
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.”
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Open thread
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This may be better than winning a local Emmy…
Keep it local, stay polite to each other. You know the drill.
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