Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch sat down for interviews with selected reporters last week. He told most of them that his office had conducted an “informal investigation” into sexual harassment allegations against former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, in 2023.
Welch’s staff has not responded to our request for an interview (same goes for the Chicago Tribune). But nobody asked whether he and his staff spoke to anyone other than Benton and the 22-year-old district office staffer who accused Benton of sexual harassment during that informal investigation after she’d resigned to avoid more harassment. Benton resigned last month.
Jessica Dixon Heitman also worked in Benton’s office at the time and has said she left because of the treatment of the young woman. But as far as I can tell, nobody talked to her in 2023. Heitman was recently appointed to replace the disgraced Benton.
So based on talking to just two people, Welch concluded that this was a “he said, she said” dispute, and, therefore, since no formal complaint was filed, Benton “was entitled to a constitutional right to due process,” Welch told WGN TV. “I had to support a member, and I supported a member.” His caucus committee contributed $1.4 million to Benton’s reelection campaign.
Set aside for a moment the constitutional right to receive $1.4 million in campaign contributions after an overly narrow informal probe. Welch also told WGN, “We had to respect the wishes of the survivor, even though she didn’t want to go through a formal complaint process.”
However, as the Tribune has reported, the accuser’s main reason for coming forward was to make sure that no other woman would be harassed by Benton.
At least two more women were sexually harassed by Benton after that, according to the legislative inspector general.
And despite what Welch reportedly told the House Democratic Women’s Caucus last month and then WGN last week, the Illinois AFL-CIO issued a remarkably forceful response to a question I asked by releasing a statement saying, “Any suggestion that Harry Benton — or any elected official — controlled labor’s support for a candidate or caucus is false.”
Last month, I informed my subscribers that Welch told members of the Women’s Caucus, “Harry Benton went around telling union people that the speaker retaliated against him and should have given more support in his last [2022] race,” a member paraphrased Welch’s response at the time.
The Tribune reported last week that the newspaper learned from participants in the meeting that “Welch assisted the now-disgraced former lawmaker’s 2024 reelection campaign with $1.4 million to prevent Benton from actively working to curb organized labor support to the speaker’s war chest.”
And Welch told WGN last week that, while he regretted supporting Benton, “labor was a big advocate of Rep. Benton. As a union member himself, he had a lot of support.”
Some folks I talked to said it looked like Welch was throwing labor under the bus, so I reached out to the Illinois AFL-CIO and asked for its reaction to last week’s stories.
“The Illinois AFL-CIO has no tolerance for sexual harassment, in the workplace or anywhere else,” the labor umbrella organization declared. “We were deeply disturbed by the legislative inspector general’s report and by recent reporting on former Rep. Harry Benton’s egregious conduct, and we agree with his decision to resign. Any suggestion that Harry Benton — or any elected official — controlled labor’s support for a candidate or caucus is false. It is clear the General Assembly needs to take further action to strengthen its policies and procedures to combat harassment and support the brave victims who come forward.”
The Tribune also quoted some Democrats close to organized labor who accurately noted that “Benton had little power to influence organized labor or its massive fundraising apparatus.”
Labor did support Benton in 2024, and a big reason was that Benton’s Republican opponent was Gabby Shanahan. At the time, Shanahan worked for the anti-union Illinois Policy Institute. I’ve written several times (including in my syndicated newspaper column in 2024) that there was no way on this earth that organized labor wanted an Illinois Policy Institute staffer in the General Assembly. Shanahan is running again this year, but she no longer works for the Illinois Policy Institute.
Now, a question could be asked about what would’ve happened if Welch or someone in his organization had told union leaders about the 2023 sexual harassment allegations against Benton by a 22-year-old district staffer.
But remember, Welch’s “informal investigation” included talking to only Benton and the staffer. And then the matter was closed.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 8:51 am:
Rich,
Thank you for your continued coverage of this issue.
===Some folks I talked to said it looked like Welch was throwing labor under the bus===
I can’t imagine why someone would think it was a good idea to try to go after the entirety of organized labor at a time when they poll better than most elected officials with a vague accusation. Es specially in a manner that would force the IL AFL-CIO to respond with a harsh rebuke.
Who is Chris Welch going to blame next?
===“I had to support a member, and I supported a member.”===
Poor Chris. Such a burden. He was forced to support a creep, and forced to keep that creep’s secret.
===Benton “was entitled to a constitutional right to due process,” ===
I was unaware that Benton faced criminal charges and that the Speaker also served as a prosecutor. Perhaps he should just resign because he is a bad attorney.
- Who else - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 8:59 am:
It would be excellent if a few men and women in the General Assembly were to say, Hey– it’s 2026. We don’t dismiss sexual harrassment allegations by throwing our hands up and saying, oh well, this is just “he said, she said.” Of course it’s he said, she said. That’s what anything is at first. And then you talk to more than those two people and look at actual facts and evidence and you get to what actually happened.
A leader doesn’t throw their hands up and lament the burden of a “he said, she said” situation. A leader protects the staff who devote their professional (and frequently personal) lives to the success of the organization.
A leader doesn’t need a working group to tell them this, either. We’ve been over this. Again, it’s 2026 in a post-Madigan Illinois. Get real.
- JS Mill - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:12 am:
@Candy Dogood +1
Welch is an absolute disaster. Unredeemable in my opinion.
- Simon - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:27 am:
Maybe the downtown broadcast media might buy Welch’s labor excuse, but no one in Illinois politics who actually knew Benton was ever going to believe it, especially his fellow House members. Benton had a well earned reputation as a blowhard (“there are some very important people down here that want me to the next speaker.”)
But while Benton was entirely incapable of turning labor against Welch, Welch is certainly capable of turning labor against Welch.
- JustMe - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:29 am:
Welch is being deceptive in citing “due process.” There was absolutely nothing to prevent him from using the full weight of his office and his campaign $ in terms of prodding, pushing, encouraging Benton to step down, including (for example), banning him or threatening to ban him from caucus or committees — see, Crespo. “Due process” would not kick in until the Speaker/House were taking formal action to kick Benton out of the House. See, Adam Clayton Powell. And at that point, the outcome would have been fait accompli — most likely resulting in Benton stepping down well beforehand. Reporters’ failure to press Welch on this issue of “due process” only shows how poorly equipped reporters are in terms of calling BS on Welch’s specious arguments. . . .
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:33 am:
Mr. Speaker, this will end with your resignation. Don’t drag it out, thinking everyone will move on. You’re done. It helps the party for this to be over, and actually helps you personally as well. You look worse and worse as time goes by, people will move on once you resign. You’ll stop being the story and can get on with your life. Just resign already.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:37 am:
It seems like every day the picture of Welch that emerges gets more troubling. I don’t see how he recovers from this.
- Todd - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:45 am:
The cover up is usually worse than the “crime” here the indifference coupled with the cover up looks inescapable, its just a matter of time for speaker selfie to get the boot
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:51 am:
“since no formal complaint was filed, Benton “was entitled to a constitutional right to due process,” Welch told WGN TV”
This is a bad look for John Marshall Law School and insulting to everyone with a shred of common sense.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 9:54 am:
It is too bad that the statute of limitations has run on this I would love to see the discover. Perhaps some sharp lawyer can figure out how the limitations were stayed perhaps duress and file now
- Demoralized - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:02 am:
Benton had absolutely no right to due process. Welch could have acted and he didn’t.
- Irreverent - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:08 am:
“After not looking for evidence, I found none. Filibuster.”
- factory worker - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:09 am:
a true leader when informed of these allegations would have done a thorough investigation because it was the right thing to do. the weak leader sweeps it under the rug because of fear it could diminish the money and support labor will give you as the leader. leaders risk what they have to pursue what is right. if an investigation was done, and the allegations were corroborated, welch could have acted against benton with the moral clarity needed to fend off any potential labor backlash, and that’s assuming that labor would stand by a alleged sexual offender, which I don’t think it would. there was a right way to do this. welch did it the other way.
- SpiDem - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:13 am:
Members entitled to due process: Harry Benton
Members not entitled to due process: Mary Flowers, Cyril Nichols, Fred Crespo, Carol Aamons…
Welch set the standard early and often for going after members of his own caucus. To this day, we still don’t know why he targeted Cyril Nichols. And his behavior through is episode leads one to question his honesty regarding his publicly stated reasons for all of the others.
- Cooper - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:23 am:
Why couldn’t the Speaker have informed labor: “Your guy is a bad egg, he has got to go.” “Now I have to find you a better replacement and dish out more funds.” “The abused staff must be protected, employed, and taken care of.” “And that’s where you come in.” “We take care of our people!”
- Think Again - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:30 am:
= Welch told WGN TV. “I had to support a member, and I supported a member.=
Politics over common decency for a victim of harassment. Who could ever trust his leadership going forward when Welch admitted this openly?
- Sue - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 10:36 am:
Welch has become an embarrassment as the face (or at least one of the faces) of the D Party- makes no difference in terms of Nov outcomes but it is a big problem for the Governor assuming he is serious about 28- it is time for a woodshed discussion
- Amalia - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:01 am:
Another week, another week of discussing something which should need no discussion. Creating a decent process for handling sexual harassment cannot be done with the current Speaker and his track record of harassing women. Create change.
- 44 - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:01 am:
So zero credibility left. Clings to power. Who is going to push him out? Seed planted, but this guy has all the levers of power and is using them all. Order the large popcorn and watch.
- Pundent - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:10 am:
=since no formal complaint was filed, Benton “was entitled to a constitutional right to due process,” Welch told WGN TV”=
And $1.4M apparently.
- Just Bill - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:18 am:
The “constitutional right” to due process refers only to criminal matters. And Welch, who’s an attorney, knows that.
- low level - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:30 am:
The more the Speaker says, the worse it gets.
- Loop Lady - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 11:38 am:
What 44 said…cmon IL Dems…lead.
- Grandma Frances - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 12:03 pm:
I just want to point out something here. The problem is clearly not a lack of sexual harassment prevention training for members, given that Benton LIED when asked about his behavior. If he had honestly not known that his behavior was unacceptable, he would not have lied about it.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 12:18 pm:
===This is a bad look for John Marshall Law School===
Oh, they were aware of how bad John Marshall Law School was. That’s why they’re the University of Chicago School of Law, or UIC Law. Still ranked poorly at 167th out of 194, but they have indeed changed the name.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 12:19 pm:
Speaker Welch is definitely trying to throw labor under the bus. It is a cynical move and seems designed to exploit division within the Democratic coalition. But even if what he said was true, which I do not believe, how would it excuse his decisions?
- Bagger Vance - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 1:11 pm:
Let’s just be clear that there is no such thing as an “informal complaint” to the chief-of-staff or titular head of an organization. The formal process for filing a complaint is “tell a manager.” Every manager recieves training that if they recieve a sexual harrassment or hostile workplace complaint, they have to act on it.
As a matter of law, it was a formal complaint. The House Democratic Caucus had a legal responsibility to act, even with all of the reservations expressed by the staff person. Their duty is not just to the one employee, but to every other employee that might come into contact with Harry Benton.
Secondly, the idea that Tim Drea would have protected Harry Benton is absurd.
Third, it is always “he said, she said” if you never speak to anyone but the perp and the victim.
Welch appears to have run a sham investigation. Run out the clock until the woman quit. And then given Harry a stern “don’t let it happen again.”
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Aug 10, 26 @ 1:21 pm:
===the University of Chicago School of Law===
You should probably get the name right if you are going to disparage everyone who went to a law school based on one person’s actions and US News and World Report rankings.