* The Chicago Tribune…

When he detailed the steps his office took that led state Rep. Harry Benton to resign his seat amid allegations of sexual harassment, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch praised those who “trusted our office to listen, support them and ensure their concerns were handled appropriately.” […]

But Welch’s account of his office’s swift response stands in sharp contrast to what happened three years ago. That’s when a young female Benton staffer — one of his first hires whose interactions with the lawmaker were part of the investigation — outlined a lengthy series of harassment allegations, many of a sexual nature, to Welch’s office. […]

Benton wasn’t interviewed by the speaker’s top staff until three months later, in July 2023, according to calendar records obtained by the Tribune. That was after the woman had already quit her job, saying she feared for her mental health. According to the former staffer, Benton was not disciplined at the time. […]

The former Benton staffer’s experience — and the years of inaction that followed — raise pointed questions about whether Welch’s office violated state and internal sexual harassment protocols it was legally required to follow, and whether a lawmaker whose conduct had been reported to leadership was allowed to continue for years without consequence until another woman had had enough. […]

Separately, the Tribune investigation found documents showing that Welch himself responded to social media posts by the former Benton staffer — who had previously interned in the speaker’s office — in ways she told the Tribune made her “uncomfortable.”

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