* Background is here if you need it. From Illinois Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey…
June 15, 2022
Dear Senator Bush,
A complaint was filed with our office on April 26th containing various allegations against you arising out of your position as a State Senator. I have reviewed the complaint and evidence obtained from a detailed and thorough investigation conducted by all members of the Office of the Legislative Inspector General.
The investigation included witness interviews in Chicago with the signatory complainant Jan Czarnik, who did not prepare the allegations in the complaint. Also interviewed was Kathyrn “Kitty” Kurth who prepared all of the allegations and documents in the complaint. Finally, this office interviewed you, Senator Melinda Bush and you provided this office with voluminous bank records and legal documents to refute the allegations of the complaint.
After thorough investigation by my office, I have concluded that the allegations of misconduct and violations of law described in the complaint are factually unsupported and therefore unfounded.
Because the complaint in this case waived confidentiality when it was filed, and because Kathyrn Kurth released the complaint to the press on the day it was filed, I believe further comments by me are appropriate. The waiver of confidentiality at the time of filing the complaint combined with a press release on the same day was not an accident. Such conduct appears to have been an attempt to politically weaponize the filing of the complaint as a political action in advance of a proper investigation by this office.
Moreover, by publishing and politicizing the complaint in advance of a proper investigation by this office, I find such conduct to be unfair to the accused, Senator Melinda Bush. That is especially true when in this case, the allegations made in the complaint tum out to be factually unsupported and unfounded.
Because the allegations of the complaint lack evidentiary support, this file will be closed without further action.
Current law prohibits the Office of the Legislative Inspector General from publicly disclosing the results of a complaint deemed unfounded, Nor will any public comment be isssued from this office as a result of my findings closing the investigation. A copy of this letter will be emailed to the complainants as well.
Sincerely,
Michael P. McCuskey
Illinois Legislative Inspector General
Yep. That Sam Yingling crowd really ought to be ashamed of themselves for this. But there’s no chance of that. Sheesh.
…Adding… In a previous life, Emily Miller did some PR work for Rep. Yingling. So she knows whereof she speaks…
- Shytown - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:39 pm:
For this alone I hope Yingling goes down for good and he’s out of everyone’s collective hair moving forward. And Kitty Kurth should be shamed for peddling this to begin with (I hope the payload she got was worth it). Total gutter politics. Be better.
- Golden - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:40 pm:
This is what you get when you appoint a former state and federal judge with no more ambitions. Honesty.
- Pizza Man - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:41 pm:
Mr. Yingling whether you ‘approved this message’ or not, this is not good. Yes, “third parties” may have spread this innuendo but you had the microphone to have ended it. You had the mouthpiece to apologize to Sen. Bush prior to this unnecessary review by the LIG.
Luckily, the verdict was issued weeks before primary day or currently during early voting.
Your ship is sinking quite quickly. I would assume you had to give up your current Rep. seat to run for the Senate seat. Not good.
- olden days - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:42 pm:
Kudos to McCuskey for being a straight shooter and calling this for what it is - a blatant political sham.
- Original Rambler - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:54 pm:
This is unheard of for an IG but welcome. IGs should do this more often to make it clear they are not to be trifled with.
I’m sure Melinda Bush is ready to quote Ray Donovan about having her reputation restored.
- Yeah Yeah - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:55 pm:
I’m with you @Shytown, was surprised to see Kitty Hurth up to this sort of thing.
- Big Dipper - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 4:56 pm:
What an excellent LIG pick. Yet the ILGOP displayed a kneejerk opposition to him.
- SpiDem - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:00 pm:
Waiting for @-vern to weigh in.
- twowaystreet - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:04 pm:
===This is unheard of for an IG but welcome. IGs should do this more often to make it clear they are not to be trifled with.===
Yup
- Who else - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:04 pm:
Kitty really lost her mind in this one. The time to jump off the sinking Yingling ship was long ago, and now she is going down with it. I hope consultants think long and hard about affiliating themselves with a candidate who would ask them to perform tasks like this. If Yingling wins this, he’s going to face a really tough time with his peers who now know the depths to which he will sink to improve his own positioning. And it wasn’t even a smart play. It was obvious from the beginning. Between this and the wild press release following the gov’s endorsement of his opponent, he is fully exposed as the volatile and narcissistic person is. Bye Sam.
- Former Downstater - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:05 pm:
This isn’t the first time this crew has tried to pull a stunt like this, with the same results.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:07 pm:
===This isn’t the first time this crew ===
If memory serves, some of this crew tried to kick Penny Severns off the SoS ballot, while she had cancer, in order to help a white male candidate.
- OneOpinion - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:16 pm:
I once represented a lawyer-legislator accused of professional misconduct by way of a complaint to the ARDC — by someone who was never a client, and who held a press conference to announce the bogus complaint for political advantage. It got quietly dismissed after the election, and thankfully the lawyer-legislator was re-elected.
Glad the LIG promptly called out this bad behavior by the complainant. This misuse of process should not be rewarded on any level.
- SpiDem - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:17 pm:
@-Anonymous
It appears the letter was to Senator Bush. The LIG may not be allowed to release the result to the public, and it doesn’t appear that he did. I doubt that prohibition applies to Sen. Bush.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:17 pm:
To the anonymous commenter I deleted because no screen name was chosen, the LIG didn’t release that letter to anyone outside of what’s in his letter.
- thisjustinagain - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:20 pm:
To Anonymous at 5:12pm: The LIQ apparently will not be releasing an investigative report detailing everything leading to the unfounding. But revealing that a complaint was received and the final status of it is not barred by law. See this LIG link
https://www.ilga.gov/commission/lig/default.asp#Section11
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:34 pm:
very disturbing.
- Ruth Dakin - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:41 pm:
More good people would get into politics if referees called penalties on the dirty players. Let’s hope this news is spread far and wide, starting with the outlet that posted the false accusation in the first place.
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 5:58 pm:
so who endorsed Yingling this round? the sludge is spilling over….
- Fan of Penny Severns - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 6:13 pm:
==This isn’t the first time this crew ===
If memory serves, some of this crew tried to kick Penny Severns off the SoS ballot, while she had cancer, in order to help a white male candidate.
Your memory is 100% accurate
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 6:13 pm:
I can’t add too much to the actual *words* that are in this report.
Classless folks doing classless things… getting called on them is doing the job prescribed.
- vern - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 6:24 pm:
SpiDem, I said at the time that I thought Yingling blew this by being, well, himself about it. The tone, the kitchen sink approach, and the more risible accusations made the complaint repellant to anyone with a brain. When you’ve got the goods, you don’t have to lay it on thick.
I’ll admit to having some lingering doubts about how money moves around in the Bush Cinematic Universe, but the LIG says it’s within the four corners of the law. There, I weighed in.
- low level - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 7:16 pm:
Boy I had forgotten about the Severns thing. She will always be one of my all time favorites in politics. God Bless you, Penny.
- Quenton Galvin - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 7:18 pm:
I am not surprised by this. Yingling, Kurth and others in his crew have a history of making underserved and utterly false damaging accusations against others out and in public. It’s what they do… it’s who they are.
- low level - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 7:20 pm:
As for Jan Czarnik, watch out for self styled “good government reformers”.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 7:25 pm:
(5 ILCS 430/25-51)
Sec. 25-51. Closed investigations. When the Legislative Inspector General concludes that there is insufficient evidence that a violation has occurred, the Inspector General shall close the investigation. The Legislative Inspector General shall provide the Commission with a written statement of the decision to close the investigation. At the request of the subject of the investigation, the Legislative Inspector General shall provide a written statement to the subject of the investigation of the Inspector General’s decision to close the investigation.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 7:27 pm:
===Boy I had forgotten about the Severns thing. She will always be one of my all time favorites in politics. God Bless you, Penny.===
*Like*
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 8:05 pm:
when was Severns running for SOS? can just recall the Lt. Gov thing.
- Blackhawk - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 8:30 pm:
I think that state employees can be invested and punished for filing a false complaint. I don’t know the specifics about this case. Can the LIG investigate the person filing the complaint?
- Shytown - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 9:26 pm:
“Lingering doubts” @Vern? Still trying to throw dirt, even now? I think I’ll take the LIG’s word over yours, thanks.
- LC Progress - Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 10:42 pm:
There was a time when Kurth (Lampe) were reputable in forwarding a progressive agenda, then they got into bed with Yingling, Jaffe & Meister and their reputation was like a Ford Pinto.
- Lulu in Lake - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 12:00 am:
To the person who asked who is funding Sam Yingling, look at his disclosures. The only major donor he has these days is fellow rep Joyce Mason, who gave him $40,000 in 10 weeks. Even Dan Didech has backed off. I wonder if their donors know how their money is being redirected. I would be furious if I donated to Mason and she handed it over to a candidate who’s opponent I endorsed.
- low level - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 8:26 am:
==when was Severns running for SOS? can just recall the Lt. Gov thing.==
1998. It was her, Jesse White and Tim McCarthy in the Dem primary or at least was before Severns was kicked off the ballot.
- SpiDem - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 8:38 am:
@Lulu
You have got to be kidding me! Unless she’s sitting on an enormous pile of cash, that’s insane.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 8:52 am:
Thanks, Lulu, for blowing a story I’ve been starting to work on /s
And, SpiDem, she’s not sitting on a lot of money.
- Lulu in Lake - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 9:37 am:
You’ve been scooped, ha ha ha! I’m looking forward to what you find– I’m positive you will have context and research I can’t even fathom.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 9:40 am:
===context and research I can’t even fathom===
Meh. It wasn’t going to be a huge story, but it was a story lol
- Just Sayin - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 10:13 am:
==1998. It was her, Jesse White and Tim McCarthy in the Dem primary or at least was before Severns was kicked off the ballot.==
Severns passed away Feb. 21, 1998, less than a month before the primary. Three days after Harry Caray, BTW.
- Quenton Galvin - Friday, Jun 17, 22 @ 11:21 am:
@LCProgress Very well said. I’ve been on the receiving end of their exploding gas tank treatment. Don’t forget about Xavier Nogueras who is very much a part of Yingling’s crew.