* Press release…

“Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker are bankrolling a Democrat accused of beating a woman and trespassing on her property. When Pritzker says ‘we believe you’ and Madigan says he will ‘personally’ intervene in harassment and abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. J.B. Pritzker will support Mike Madigan at all costs, regardless of how many women Madigan’s corruption hurts.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

First, it was Kevin Quinn. Then, it was Shaw Decremer. Now, it’s State Rep. Bob Rita.

Yesterday, on International Women’s Day, yet another brave woman stepped forward to tell her story of abuse at the hands of a close ally of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Bob Rita.

Rita’s accuser revealed that in 2002, her father, a former legislator, pleaded with Mike Madigan to personally intervene with Rita to keep her safe from his violent attacks. Madigan said he couldn’t get involved and kept the money flowing to Rita’s campaign. Now, Madigan says he can’t recall if such a meeting ever occurred. Rita went on to win his campaign and be a rubber stamp for Madigan’s agenda.

Fast forward to 2016.

J.B. Pritzker used an LLC to secretly funnel $5,400 in campaign cash to Bob Rita, Mike Madigan, and other Madigan-backed Democrats.

Now that domestic battery and criminal trespass allegations against Rita have resurfaced, does J.B. Pritzker still support Bob Rita’s candidacy for the Illinois House?

Additionally, does J.B. Pritzker believe Bob Rita’s accuser or does he believe Mike Madigan?

Whenever J.B. Pritzker says “we believe you” or Mike Madigan says he will “personally” intervene in harassment or abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. Madigan and Pritzker will do anything for power, no matter how many women get hurt.

OK, first of all, there were no direct contributions from any of Speaker Madigan’s committees to Rita’s campaign in either the 2002 primary or that year’s general election. However, the alleged crime happened after the primary and that’s a strong Democratic district, so Madigan didn’t really need to be involved in the fall. Rita ended up getting 80 percent of the vote after spending less than $25K.

Also, Rita was acquitted, despite the fact that his jury included 9 women and he was accused of beating up and threatening to rape a cop who was the daughter of a popular former state legislator.

* Even so, I think they have a point about Pritzker. From the above video link to a Pritzker ad…

“If I’m elected governor, when… women everywhere need me to say ‘we believe you,’ I will be in charge.”

The alleged victim here says the jury got it all wrong.

I’ve asked the Pritzker campaign for a response.

* Related…

* Domestic battery accusations resurface against State Rep. Bob Rita ahead of primary election: Liz Hogan, Rita’s former girlfriend, said the incidents happened in 2002 when she was attempting to break off their relationship. “He grabbed me by the back of my hair and pulled me down to the ground,” said Hogan. Rita went to trial in the case and was acquitted in 2003. But Hogan, emboldened in part by the #MeToo movement, believes it is now a different era.

* Michael Madigan wouldn’t intervene in domestic battery case involving Democratic candidate, woman says: Sixteen years after the alleged incident, Hogan is taking her case to the court of public opinion, bolstered by the #MeToo movement and the support of Rita’s primary challenger, Mary Carvlin, Carvlin joined Hogan at the news conference, where she called on Madigan and Rita to step down. “Voting for Bob Rita is voting for Speaker Michael Madigan,” Carvlin said. “This is a man whose organization has rampant sexual harassment and a history of protecting the abuser, not the abused.”

* Rep. Bob Rita’s Accuser Comes Forward: Hogan asked her father, retired State Rep. Andy McGann, for help. She says McGann went to talk to Madigan. “So he came back and he, almost with tears in his eyes, said Mike Madigan says he couldn’t do anything about it. He just threw his hands up in the air,” Hogan said. “Madigan should have acknowledged the problem, addressed it — someone should have talked to Bob Rita about it.”

* State Representative’s Former Girlfriend Says Madigan Knew of Abuse Allegations: Madigan’s spokesman says the speaker does not recall meeting Hogan’s father. Rita was acquitted in the trial, and in a written statement Rita said “The claims were false then and are false today. Since then I have been a champion for women’s issues in Springfield and in the district.” “That’s a straight up lie,” Hogan said in response. “It’s a lie.”

* Speaker Madigan denies inaction in years-old domestic dispute involving lawmaker: Hogan’s father died in 2008. McGann and the speaker were friends, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. Madigan sponsored a death resolution in McGann’s honor. “I remember him sitting there in the church, crying, in one of the pews,” Hogan said of the speaker at McGann’s funeral. She says she didn’t recall speaking to Madigan then.

* Woman says Madigan ignored abuse charge against House candidate in 2002: “The speaker has no memory of a meeting between him and McGann about Bob Rita,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. “This apparently happened after the incident, after Rita was charged. So I don’t even know what, if such a meeting happened, what was the expectation?”