* No Madigan subpoena, no Madigan charges. Adjourned…
As one on-scene reporter noted to me, the House Republicans started this process by using Madigan’s rules against Madigan and the HDems ended it by using Madigan’s rules against the HGOPs.
I’m assuming we’ll see some press releases.
[Also, typos are inevitable and unfixable on Twitter, so give the guy a break.]
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) released the following statement after the House Special Investigating Committee’s unexpected final hearing:
“One can only assume that my colleagues on the committee vigorously workout, because the hoops that Chairman Welch and his fellow Democrats are jumping through to justify the information in the emails we received from ComEd and the admitted federal deferred prosecution agreement are impressive. Actually beyond impressive and bordering on “hard to believe”.
If you’ve read these emails, the conduct of the Chairman defies belief. Today he once again spent valuable committee time prescribing all of the reasons why a subpoena to acquire witness testimony might not work. He’s apparently creating a justification for not doing anything. So the leader of this House ethics investigation is saying that an investigation is too hard and therefore we shouldn’t do it. Allow that notion to search for logic in your brain; too hard equals, we can’t and shouldn’t.
If, as my colleague Rep. Manley claims, there is nothing untoward about the Speaker’s conduct in his relationship with ComEd, then why won’t he assist the committee in clearing his name? In fact, why wouldn’t he insist on it. Why wouldn’t his allies on the committee who see no untoward behavior want his name fully cleared? An investigative committee is charged with doing all it can to get information relevant to its duty, not shying away from it. It takes neither a lawyer or a soothsayer to connect the dots as to why that isn’t the case with this committee.
This is why people continue to lose faith in the integrity of Illinois government. I don’t blame them for their frustration and their disillusionment. I’m feeling the same way.”
* Another…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin released the following statement on the abrupt conclusion of the Special Investigating Committee:
“The Democratic Party shows again today there is no limit to the lengths they will go to protect Speaker Madigan. Chairman Welch, Rep. Hernandez and Rep. Manley have turned the rule of law on its head by refusing to investigate the charges and demand the testimony of Speaker Madigan in this scandal. I call on Governor Pritzker to finally demand Speaker Madigan resign as it is clear he refuses to answer any questions about his corrupt practices.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Statement from Speaker Madigan on the conclusion of the Special Investigating Committee:
“Jim Durkin insisted on initiating this political theater, and through this process we’ve come to learn that he was involved in the very conduct he claims to be so offended by – recommending people for various jobs. If Jim Durkin actually believes it is conduct unbecoming of a legislator to recommend people for jobs or help constituents, he might want to review his own hypocritical behavior. Rather than finger pointing, I suggest we focus on the important work that lies ahead of us.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Statement from Eleni Demertzis in response to Madigan:
Public Official A should know this was not about job recommendations. It was about a nine year bribery scheme to bribe and influence Himself and no one else. To date, there have been five indictments and all of these charges lead back to one person, Public Official A.
- southsider - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:13 pm:
The minute it was clear Durkin himself asked for jobs they lost this. You can’t claim it’s conduct unbecoming a legislator to make job recommendations and do the same thing.
- Roadrager - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:13 pm:
Well, Feds, your turn.
I wonder what letter of Public Official each of these three will eventually get.
- TwoCent Ante - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:15 pm:
MJM seems like a real “wolf by the ears” situation for IL Dems.
- JB13 - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:16 pm:
LOL. Federal officers are literally going to have to give the Speaker the full Blago treatment before these Democrats turn on him.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:20 pm:
What an utter failure by Demmer, who now looks terribly weaker and sadder to process.
Wehrli… won’t see him no more.
Durkin showed all who were watching;
Demmer was clueless to how to ask questions and lead, with Durkin orchestrating after the fact.
When push came to shove, Durkin told the committee “I’ll take it from here”, trying to be the one asking questions over Demmer.
I learned a lot.
Demmer is activity… there’s no achievement… like with this committee. It’s the rule, not the exception… with Demmer.
- Annonin' - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:22 pm:
BtW it is Rep. Hernandez.
- Just Me 2 - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:24 pm:
Well that was a productive use of everyone’s time to arrive at the predictable result.
- Hot chocolate - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:25 pm:
Annnd…swept under the rug. Merry Christmas IL! You’re getting this year the same thing you’ve gotten for the last 40.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:30 pm:
I find all of this so entertaining and so Illinois.
- Amber Ale - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:39 pm:
OW - I feel like Demmer must have been riding shotgun in the car the day Tom Cross ran over your dog. J/k
But wasn’t the whole point of this the theater? To get the headline? The tit for tat of “no YOU got perks” never really advanced beyond the under the dome crowd (which admittedly is what this website is all about and for good reason). Commentators talk a lot about the “failed” Fire Madigan effort. But for better or worse, Madigan is persona non grata anywhere outside of his district from a public perspective. If you think the SIC was a failure, I think you misunderstand the role of the minority party in general. If we are talking about the Speaker, then Durkin is winning (the media cycle at least - and dare I say it, the Madigan angle is probably a big reason they did so well this cycle despite Trump and a huge money inbalance.) Look at the House rules. Theater is all the minority party has. We are in a deep blue state, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:47 pm:
=== Commentators talk a lot about the “failed” Fire Madigan effort. But for better or worse, Madigan is persona non grata anywhere outside of his district from a public perspective. If you think the SIC was a failure===
Narrator… it was a +1 seat gain, Wehrli lost too
===I think you misunderstand the role of the minority party in general.===
To perpetually be in the minority?
The goal is to win races, not be +1… while solidifying downstate, losing Wehrli, Skillicorn, Cabello…
At what point should I want to see achievement?
=== We are in a deep blue state, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.===
We are not.
A short time ago… a US Senator, 3 more congressional seats, not veto proofed… 3 statewide offices.
It’s like this perpetual victimgood of a “blue state”… lol… friend, between Raja, Schneider, Underwood, Casten, the 6 statewide offices… how many had honest competition in the last cycles?
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:56 pm:
Today was all about the failure of Tom Demmer for a change instead of Bruce Rauner and definitely not about Democrats failing to pursue allegations of corruption against the leader of their party
- Anyone Remember - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:04 pm:
While Madigan deserves whatever the Feds can do to him (although the Supremes give pause), the GOP has no credibility in these matters. Going back to Thompson starting his “patronage system” (er, I mean, “hiring freeze”) 8 days after Reagan’s election, which was “investigated” by US Attorneys JRT picked; George HW Bush’s DoJ giving a patronage / job buying trial to be those paragons of civil service, Terry Gainer and Roland W. Burris; the Sangamon County GOP openly violating Veteran’s Preference in state hiring; and Patrick Fitzgerald going after Richard M. Daley’s patronage operation but ignoring George Ryan’s, Rep. Durkin, look at your party’s history!
- Whatever - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:05 pm:
I wholeheartedly disagree with OW. Demmer did his job admirably. He was supposed to cause delay and chaos. He did that. Welch didn’t have to take any votes. He convinced him to take some. No one ever thought the results would be different. The committee contributed to some of the 19 coming out against Madigan.
- Louis G Atsaves - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:06 pm:
Yup, swept under the rug. Now Democrats can shuffle their feet, look you right in the eye and pretend that big lump under the rug is just the imagination of every one else. Nothing to investigate, more along now. And they blame the Republicans for the lump.
- Annoyed - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:10 pm:
Using Durkin’s own logic, he needs to turn himself into the Feds and demand to be charged with helping people find jobs in exchange for the money ComEd gave him and for the votes he took for ComEd.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:12 pm:
=== Demmer did his job admirably. He was supposed to cause delay and chaos.===
It was the federal investigation that’s driving this, nothing more.
=== The committee contributed to some of the 19 coming out against Madigan===
The revelation in July was the catalyst.
Demmer couldn’t even ask questions, Durkin asked if he could be the one. It’s *that* bad.
The goal was also to save Wehrli… how’d that go?
- Frank talks - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:13 pm:
In the meantime GOP losing electors are trying to get into capitols around the country to cast their electoral votes against the actual voters of their states. They also are saying that even though they lost they get to cast their vote for Trump to win the state?
GOP may talk Madigan but nationally they are deafening in their silence on full acts of treason by Trump supporters. What’s going to make the bigger splash today? Which story is the general public seeing? Racist marches in DC, Trump supporters acting crazy, Illinois gop staying silent, or Madigan hearing was a bust?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:15 pm:
=== Democrats failing to pursue allegations of corruption against the leader of their party===
What, no faith in the US Attorney.
Also note, since July 18th, I’ve felt Madigan should resign.
The Arroyo Rule is still in full effect, the USA can change the game quickly.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:18 pm:
The Republicans had to have known this day was coming, barring an actual indictment against Madigan, and they may have even written those statements months ago.
How much of their upset is because they had to issue the statements today and not in a few weeks?
- Burnt Band-Aid - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:32 pm:
LOL. This is what happens when you are guilty of the very same thing you are accusing your political opponents of doing. Christ asked the Pharisees who would be the first to cast the first stone and they walked with shame because they were guilty of the same sin as the adulterous woman.
Perhaps, Jim Durkin should do the same and walk the walk of shame of all hypocrites.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:32 pm:
To Madigan’s response…
Dunno how that response peels any of the 19 to come back, but it’s a response.
- Frank talks - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:40 pm:
Add one more to the list, AG Barr resigns, of things that the general public will talk and care about before this Madigan committee. Well at least Wehrli got to do one more drive to Springfield.
- Springfield Follies - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:42 pm:
When the standard for the House Republican leadership is - “Well we didn’t get killed at the polls this year” - the bar is set really, really low. Republicans - you kind of get what you bargained for - a not so talented version of Mike Madigan. Enjoy losing elections for another decade.
- Trim the Fat - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 5:51 pm:
Lee Daniels had a Republican map and only served one term as Speaker. Jim Durkin has Mike Madigan on the ropes and he can’t deliver the knock out punch because he too is compromised.
Do Republicans want to even win elections? It sure does not seem like it. Every day Jim Durkin stays as GOP leader is another day of Mike Madigan expanding his power. Crazy.
- BeenThereDoneThat - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 6:06 pm:
If I had to predict, MJM continues in his role as Speaker. That said, his presence looms even larger in the 2022 elections with a remap, Dem President and tough budgetary decisions ahead.
- Just Me 2 - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 6:21 pm:
Does anyone have a package of bills for how we recover from COVID or is this the only thing anyone cares about?
- Peaky Blinders - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 6:21 pm:
The Westchester Irish mob is back. Except they really aren’t and nobody cares because the Westchester Irish mob is too dimwitted to know when they have been outsmarted again.
- Love that Chicken - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 6:28 pm:
Jim Durkin’s secretary Grant Wehrli came into the GA an emotionally unstable blowhard and leaves an unhinged, emotionally unstable loser.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 6:50 pm:
What to hate more: the ILGOP’s incessent victimhood or the fact that the Dem mushrooms didn’t even attempt to investigate the matter? It’s a close call.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 7:00 pm:
I had the pleasure to vote against Wehrli… very satisfying indeed.
- Anon E Moose - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 7:41 pm:
“turned the rule of law on its head”
the hypocrisy of this
- Chicagonk - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 10:40 pm:
This committee was always going to be a joke, but I am looking forward to the day in the near future when Madigan is gone. Good riddance.
- Joe Schmoe - Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 10:55 pm:
Maybe the lack of “activity” by the SIC will just speed things up a bit on the part of the feds????
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 8:25 am:
Are there any jobs available at Peoples Gas? Asking for a friend.
- Really - Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 9:04 am:
I guess we will see where this goes next. My bet is that it will go nowhere and nothing will change. Illinois ain’t ready for reform.