* A few headlines and tidbits…

* Tribune: Madigan under fire again over handling of sexual harassment claims, asks for watchdog investigation: Porter’s contract originally ran through June 30, but it has been extended through the end of the year to provide time for a nationwide search for a replacement.

* Sun-Times: Is the speaker hearing the ‘message’? Or just mouthing the words?: Is Madigan, who turned 76 last month, ready for a full investigation of his own operation? Or is he just going through the motions for political cover?

* SJ-R: Madigan denies retaliating against Democratic lawmaker, calls for investigation: Cassidy said she has had several aides, lobbyists and others come up approach her and thank her for speaking up. She has also found wide support among her colleagues.

* AP: Madigan seeks probe of sexual-harassment retaliation claim: The bill had been assigned to a House Judiciary Committee, on which Cassidy serves as vice chairwoman. Cassidy said her opposition was based on House Democrats’ well-publicized moratorium on enhanced criminal penalties when there’s no evidence they’re effective at discouraging crime.

* WCIA: Madigan denies intimidation allegations: Senator Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles), who sits on the Legislative Ethics Commission, says Madigan’s letter represents a conflict of interest since he appointed Porter to the position.

* NBC5: Madigan Pens Letter Responding to Lawmaker’s Claims of Retaliation: Cassidy said she did not link Dart to the retaliation and chose to resign from her position.

* Hinz: Pritzker breaks with Mike Madigan as #MeToo flap deepens

* WTTW: Speaker Madigan Denies Retaliation Claims, Calls for Investigation: But Cassidy says her opposition had no impact on [the legislation]. She also says she believes it was not a conflict of interest to hold both jobs. “That’s something that we worked through quite thoroughly when I was contemplating joining the team there,” Cassidy said. “House counsel was clear that there was no conflict of interest, especially given my history of work on criminal justice reform.”

* Meanwhile, from the ILGOP…

93 days ago, Democratic Party of Illinois Chairman Mike Madigan asked Comptroller Susana Mendoza to serve on the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel charged with, among other things, investigating the sexual harassment claims against Speaker Madigan’s political organizations.

Over the course of the last 93 days, one of Mendoza’s harassment panel co-chairs resigned, more harassment claims emerged against Madigan’s organization, and now Democratic State Rep. Kelly Cassidy –who publicly criticized Speaker Madigan’s response to claims of harassment—claims she was pushed out of her job with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office because she spoke out against Madigan.

Through these turbulent 93 days, there has been one constant—Mendoza’s silence.

“Multiple women have now come forward with stories of harassment and retaliation by the Madigan organization, yet Susana Mendoza has remained silent—failing to do her job, much less act like a leader in her party. Mendoza’s quick to launch the hyperbolic partisan attack, but when it comes to taking a critical look at her own party leaders and defending her fellow colleagues—Mendoza remains silent. Illinois women simply cannot afford more silence from Mendoza.” said Darlene Senger, Republican candidate for Comptroller.

With yet another potential investigation into harassment and retaliation in Mike Madigan’s political organization, will Mendoza break her silence now?

* And then there’s this…

State Senator Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles) joins several other lawmakers in calling for an investigation following the recent allegations made by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who says she was forced to resign from her part-time job at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office after speaking out against Speaker Mike Madigan’s handling of sexual harassment claims within his political office. McConnaughay says retaliation of this kind, or any kind, needs to be taken very seriously and has no place in the Capitol.

Madigan, himself, has asked for the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) to investigate Cassidy’s allegations; however, Sen. McConnaughay believes the investigation needs to be done independently from the LIG and free from Madigan’s control.

“No inspector general should be handling an investigation regarding allegations made against the person who appoints them,” said McConnaughay. “If the Legislative Inspector General were to be in charge of this investigation, it would be a clear conflict of interest, as Madigan played a significant role in the current LIG’s appointment. The LIG cannot conduct an unbiased investigation when she is investigating the person who appointed her. This investigation must be independent.”

When sexual harassment allegations first came to light about an individual on Madigan’s political staff, Rep. Cassidy was one of few who voiced her opinion on the matter calling for an investigation and a review of sexual harassment policies. Cassidy has since publicly claimed that as a result of her speaking out against the way Madigan handled the situation, she felt forced to resign at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

“The only way for these unethical behaviors to stop is if people, like Rep. Cassidy, come forward to tell their story,” said McConnaughay. “Unfortunately, this kind of conduct has been going on for way too long in the Capitol building, and it’s long past time for it to end. Illinois cannot afford this kind of culture to continue. I commend Rep. Cassidy’s bravery to speak up and for being a trailblazer in the effort to end this kind of corruption.”

* And Rep. Kelly Cassidy gets the last word in this post…

In February, I first spoke publicly about the inadequate response to allegations of sexual harassment within Speaker Madigan’s operation. On two occasions since that time, someone loyal to Speaker Madigan has attempted to intimidate me and my part-time employer. After the second occurrence, I knew it wouldn’t stop, and I knew that the only way to ensure that these retaliation efforts cease is to place a spotlight on them.

Having spent my entire adult life advocating for those without power, I have advocated for stronger responses to discrimination at all levels as well as in the private sector. I know that my role in the House affords me a greater degree of safety than many who have long complained about the ways women are treated in Springfield. Since coming forward yesterday, I have been stopped by more women (and men) than I can count, thanking me for speaking up because they don’t feel safe speaking out about their own experiences of intimidation, retaliation, and harassment.

As this story now turns to the inevitable he said/she said and denials, I remain firmly committed to being a steadfast voice for justice and equality, just as I have worked against harassment and discrimination throughout my career. I stand by my story. I did not want to leave the work and the team I loved being a part of, and I certainly did not want to spend the waning days of this session focused on anything other than passing my bills and getting a budget completed.

I am encouraged to see the call for an investigation by the Legislative Inspector General from both the Illinois State Senate Women’s Caucus and Speaker Madigan. Based on the widely reported concerns about the ability of the LIG to operate with true independence, I stand by my original call for a truly independent and outside investigation into this culture that appears to pervade the organizations led by Speaker Madigan.

I am committed to speaking out against retaliation and intimidation, and to doing what I can to change this abusive culture. We can and must do better for all of us.

*** UPDATE *** From the three members of the Democratic Party of Illinois’ anti-harassment panel…

“This is nothing more than desperate politics being played on the part of Darlene Senger and the GOP, shamefully using the stories of brave women who have spoken up against sexual harassment, to change the subject away from her suggestion to pin the blame on Sen. Tammy Duckworth for Governor Rauner’s horrible failure to keep our veterans safe in Quincy. Senger lost all credibility and trust the instant she chose protecting Governor Rauner’s image over safeguarding the lives of veterans and their families.

The work of the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel is to focus on the future of women in this party, and engage them as it develops guidelines and a framework to eliminate obstacles to their success, such as sexual harassment, and elevate them into positions of leadership, while creating a culture of equity, safety and respect in the workplace.

While this panel does not have any oversight authority in which to investigate allegations on its own, all three members of this panel were early and vocal supporters of an independent investigation into those issues raised by Alaina Hampton regarding the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Speaker’s office. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-susana-mendoza-michael-madigan-harassment-20180226-story.html

Independence around this issue is so important to the three of us that we were prepared to step down from our respective positions in the event that the party attempted to appoint a member of its leadership to our panel.

If Darlene Senger and the GOP are truly interested in rooting out sexual harassment and elevating women within their own party, we hope they will follow our lead and adopt our ultimate recommendations for their own party.