Last month, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told WGN Political Editor Tahman Bradley during an interview, “I’m going to apologize for making her feel uncomfortable.”
The woman he was referring to was a district office worker for former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who who quit after she said she was sexually harassed. The woman also told the Chicago Tribune that Welch had sent “heart-eye” emojis to her mobile phone in response to photos and said when she reached out to Welch about her future career plans, he suggested that they meet at a bar in his favorite suburban steakhouse. All of that, she said made her feel quite uncomfortable.
“I’m going to own that. I regret it, and I want to apologize to her,” Welch told Bradley. “I sincerely want to apologize to her because it was never my intent to make her or anyone feel uncomfortable.”
So, I reached out to the young former staffer through an approved intermediary to ask if Welch had ever apologized to her.
“No, he’s never apologized to me,” she replied.
When I asked whether she thinks Welch “should” apologize, the former staffer said there was something else he should do along with an apology: “I think I’d like to hear how he plans to improve the culture along with the apology,” she said. “Empty apology for his actions alone would just be awkward,” she continued.
I showed the back-and-forth between me and the intermediary to several House Democrats. Most said the culture change was more important.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who has been a Welch critic, had this to say: “I agree with her perspective. A personal apology is empty unless backed with significant action. We need to fix the policies and procedures that failed her, but also the culture that led to the harm in the first place.”
Cassidy also didn’t expect that a Welch-style apology would be sufficient: “I have issues with apologies that focus on the feelings of the victim as opposed to his actions.”
“I’ve always been less interested in apologies and more concerned with fixing problems,” said Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, who also chairs the House Women’s Caucus.
“I think her comment that she’d like substantive cultural changes and not just an apology makes sense and is wise,” said Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin. “From what I’ve heard, the working group assembled by the speaker is taking the task seriously, and I think the caucus will be looking for substantive proposals to help ensure that district staff are protected. I think if the speaker knew that she’d like a direct apology he would provide one.”
Well, he knows now.
Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, is a member of Welch’s leadership team: “All of us, especially those of us in leadership, bear responsibility for the workplace culture in Springfield that’s too often toxic and harmful. We need a plan to make things better. I’ve been talking with my colleagues throughout the summer, and I’m hopeful that we can come together in veto session with some concrete steps to improve our processes and keep our people safe.”
Rep. Ann Stava, D-Naperville, noted that the working group got off to a very rocky start: “[Welch’s] response was to formally assign people to a working group to ‘study the issue.’ Multiple members who were assigned declined to join for reasons they specified publicly.”
Stava also said that she hadn’t decided whether to vote for Welch in January, and warned, “I do not look kindly on the fact that he has not personally apologized to the original victim or the subsequent victims to my knowledge.”
In my own opinion, Welch should follow through on both of his public promises: Genuinely apologize and improve the staff working environment.
Instead, the House Democrats have gone on offense against the Republican candidate running against Benton’s successor, Gabby Shanahan.
Benton was succeeded by one of his former district office employees, who said she witnessed Benton’s sexual harassment but didn’t report it because the young staffer asked her not to. The Republicans have sharply and repeatedly criticized appointed Rep. Jessica Dixon Heitman, D-Plainfield, for turning a blind eye to what happened.
The Democrats are now trying to turn the Republican attacks back against the GOP candidate Shanahan.
“Gabby Shanahan’s biggest backer is a top Trump ally,” the narrator says in the Democratic streaming ad as photos of President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance appear beside Shanahan, according to my associate Isabel Miller.
“We don’t need another politician like Shanahan who will look the other way” the ad states.
Clever, considering that’s just what Welch did with Benton.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 9:06 am:
Welch has to go. The majority can find a better Speaker.
- Simon - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 9:36 am:
Seems like Welch believes apologizing to a television reporter counts. It appears the victim thinks otherwise.
I’d also argue Welch owes the members of his caucus an apology, particularly those in contested races. They’re being forced to explain both the House’s institutional failure and Speaker Emoji Eyes’ personal misconduct. Legislative leaders are supposed to protect their members from political heat, not be the source of it.
- Think Again - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 10:06 am:
Welch, like many Pols before him, seems to be taking advice from advisors to wait it out and push a narrative that, with time, his ‘I’m embarrassed by it’ statement will suffice.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 10:37 am:
Welch’s entire response to this suggests he lacks the political chops to lead the house caucus, especially after his spat with the State party. From start to finish, this was and is poorly managed by him. Add in the details, and it is clear his Speakership is over. Folks are just waiting for his career to float to the top of the tank after the veto session.
Welch thinks he’s a bigger deal than he is.
How about a new trend though, Speakers should only serve for about 4 years then turn it over before they start thinking it is all about them.
- Grimlock - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 11:05 am:
Any apology at this point would be meaningless.
- levivoted4judy - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 11:08 am:
I had high hopes for the Speaker and he has not reached the bar. I like how he doesn’t resign bills that don’t match his agenda to the Rules Committe and let’s a lot more get a chance to be voted on. It seems he is trying to rule in a Madigan-control mode, but Madigan had one key thing he doesn’t have, fundraising control. JB’s wealth eliminated that. Too many self-inflicted wounds now. Time for a change.
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 11:24 am:
===Speakers should only serve for about 4 years then turn it over before they start thinking it is all about them. ===
If only they could find someone willing to stand for the job that could do it for four years before they start thinking it is all about them.
- Paul Peterson - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 11:26 am:
No need to apologize
Just follow the Illinois Democrats playbook and pivot to attacking Trump.
Rinse repeat
- Just Bill - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 12:07 pm:
As best I can tell, Welch appears to think what worked to get him out of numerous messes when he was a big fish in a small pond as D209 Proviso High School board president will work with the current mess(es). Unfortunately, I’m not convinced yet that he’s wrong about that.
- ok - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 12:21 pm:
He was not ready for the big leagues.
- Downstate - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 12:45 pm:
When your predecessor was ousted, in part, for failure to address sexual harassment concerns, you’d think you would be extra sensitive to the issue, in both your personal conduct and handling miscreant representatives.
- Inside Baseball - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 12:59 pm:
WHy is it taking so long to oust him? Is everyone scared or are they waiting for it to blow over?
- Walker - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 1:20 pm:
“Honor” is not often cited as a political virtue these days.
- Casper The Ghost Bus - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 1:23 pm:
Is he hoping she was one of the dozens watching WGN?
- Dotnonymous x - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 1:32 pm:
“I’m going to apologize for making her feel uncomfortable.”
Carefully crafted words seem to shift responsibility to his victim for the way she “felt”…no cigar…not even a tricky bubble gum one.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:01 pm:
===Is everyone scared or are they waiting for it to blow over? ===
January is a long way away. Patience.
- Downstate - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:20 pm:
Dotnonymous,
Exactly. “I’m not sorry that I asked her to move the conversation to a private app, sent eye-heart emojis, or asked to meet at a bar.”
He’s only sorry that she felt uncomfortable.
- Lisa - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:21 pm:
Nothing will happen as long as Welch controls the purse-strings.
“Madigan had one key thing he doesn’t have, fundraising control. JB’s wealth eliminated that.” This makes no sense. JB isn’t spreading the wealth around, funding candidates who have challenged the status quo/Welch’s power.
- Yeah - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:30 pm:
Welch wants to be supreme - he emptied out DPI of resources, and threatens members in addition to retaliation . He wants to be the Top Dog with only Four years left in the “term limits”. I hope the caucus has enough strong members to remove him from office or else the Democratic Party is the party that sweeps sexual harassment under the rug and has no business preaching women’s rights and protections to anyone.. As the blog pointed out - Jim Durbin had more respect for women and protecting them than Speaker Welch - I don’t care about elections but what does the Democratic Party stand for anymore than power and making wealthy people more wealthy.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:39 pm:
I guess the next speaker is likely to court support between now and January, keeping quiet about it until they’ve lined up enough votes to win. At least I hope that is happening- Welch has to go.
- Pascals Triangle - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 2:40 pm:
=== or are they waiting for it to blow over? ===
The Briel race and the Heitman race will be either used or disavowed as proxies on Welch.
If Welch loses both seats, his fate will be sealed as Speaker. If you cannot protect incumbents, incumbents are gonna want someone else.
If Welch wins both seats, he’ll argue he’s been vindicated by the voters and the result. It would have been a better argument in 2014 when House Republicans and House Democrats were more equal in spending and you had Rauner at the top of the ticket instead of Bailey. It is an argument, just not a very strong one.
A better metric is to look at the drop off and ticket splitters in both races.
How many voted for Pritzker but refused to vote for Briel, either by skipping the race or voting for Shanahan?
Generally speaking, you would expect the state rep race to have about a 10% drop-off from the governor’s race, and for the local democrat in a contested race to do much better than the top of the ticket.
There are other factors in play for Democrats. The split with the state party is one. General satisfaction/dissatisfaction with Welch is another. Finally, you have to wonder how practical it is for
Pritzker to mount a bid for president as long as Welch remains. You cannot very well go after the Trump administration for protecting predators without expecting questions about Benton.
Election results should not control the moral compass, but you cannot ignore the influence of campaign politics or office politics.
- Responsa - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 3:58 pm:
Sometimes it is the unexpected small things. In this situation the greater the number of Illinois citizens who are made aware of the heart eyes emoji the sooner Welsh will lose his job. That’s because his caucus will be embarrassed to support him against public ridicule.
- low level - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 4:00 pm:
==or else the Democratic Party is the party that sweeps sexual harassment under the rug and has no business preaching women’s rights and protections to anyone.. As the blog pointed out - Jim Durbin had more respect for women==
Right. Its been - wait for it - Democrats who have called on Welch to account for his behavior while MAGA has said nothing about your Dear Leader. Whatever our faults, we will not take lectures from people who have said nothing about the president. Absurd.
- Doogie Howser - Monday, Sep 28, 26 @ 4:11 pm:
Truthfully, except for Rep. Cassidy, I’m disappointed in the HDems Women’s caucus. They should be calling for the speaker’s resignation all day, every day. The buck stops with him. Is this who we want to be as Democrats? Do we want to look away like the Republicans do with Trump and his associates?
- Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, Sep 30, 26 @ 8:05 am:
“In this situation the greater the number of Illinois citizens who are made aware of the heart eyes emoji the sooner Welsh will lose his job.”
Maybe it’s because I’m old, but isn’t it undignified to use emojis when communicating as the House Speaker?
As for the emoji itself, meh.
It doesn’t take much effort to touch an emoji with your finger. It doesn’t mean much. If someone I liked sent one to me it wouldn’t convince me it was true love, if someone I didn’t like sent one to me it wouldn’t make me feel awkward, both for the same reason, it just represents a fraction of a second of thought.
- Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, Sep 30, 26 @ 8:13 am:
=== …when she reached out to Welch about her future career plans, he suggested that they meet at a bar in his favorite suburban steakhouse.===
Because the Speaker of the Illinois House wouldn’t have access to an office or anything like that.
Don’t they have any of those work spaces in Springfield where you can rent a temporary office?