[Cara Smith at the Cook County Sheriff’s office] said she also talked to [Rep. Bob Rita], who told her that Cassidy’s opposition was a key hurdle to passing the bill. Smith said Rita commented that if he worked for a politician but didn’t support their initiatives, “I probably wouldn’t have a job.” Smith said she viewed it as Rita “stating his experience.”
I spoke to Smith today and she confirmed what she said to Monique.
Monique Garcia: When I talked to Cara Smith, she said that you had also raised the idea of, “I don’t know how you could oppose your boss’ bill.”
Rep. Rita: With Cara Smith and her conversations with her and Kelly, I can’t comment on that. We strictly were looking at how…
Monique: Well, Cara said you said that to her.
Rita: …How do we get through a committee to get the votes to get to the House floor? Kelly being the vice chair of the committee has a strong voice in that committee and her opposition and learning that she’s working for the Sheriff and it being his top legislative priority really surprised me. Figuring, now how do we move froward, which I’ve explained to Cara, we need to get past this because we’re not going to be able to get this out of committee. We’re going to call it and it’s not going to be a vote. We’re not going to get an outcome.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rita denied raising Cassidy’s employment during discussions [with Cassidy] about the bill.
“I never had those conversations, what she is saying. It was all limited to how do we get (the bill) through the criminal justice committee,” Rita said.
The full exchange between reporters and Rita is here. The transcript on this particular topic is here. Many, many thanks to Hannah Meisel for doing these transcripts today.
I saw the letter [from Speaker Madigan denying any attempt at intimidation] and it really misses the forest through the trees.
You know, just as when Jack Hynes went after Alaina Hampton and was digging up dirt on her, the Speaker called me and there were several conversations during that period of time when it was event-reaction-event-reaction-event-reaction, and in that sequence he called me to warn me about the Jack Hynes story, and was really adamant that I understand that I hadn’t done this, that he hadn’t ordered this effort. And I stopped him and said, ‘I one hundred percent believe you. You didn’t order him to do it because you didn’t have to.
‘This is the way the operation works, and I know that you believe that the one-step removal is enough, but it isn’t enough anymore and you own this.’ And in that moment, he agreed that he did. In fact, his statements right after that used those exact words: ‘And I own this.’
And he owns this, too.
The message is very clear: Speak out against the Speaker and people loyal to him will come after you.”
* And, finally, from Sen. Sam McCann…
It is with a heavy heart I offer my sympathy to Rep. Cassidy. The reports of her retaliation from Speaker Madigan are disturbing. There are few legislators that I differ more with ideologically than Rep. Cassidy, but I cannot watch the retaliation of the political ruling class go unchecked. For too long men, like Speaker Madigan and Governor Rauner, won’t take no for an answer when legislators have our own beliefs. Our beliefs should be respected and allowed to have their veracity assessed by the voters, not bullies. Furthermore, Pritzker’s calls for an investigation without criticizing Madigan amount to cowardice and lend refuge to bullies like him and Rauner. I am the only candidate for Governor who will stand up against these travesties.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** State account…
This kind of corruption is what I fight every day. Retaliation against Rep. Kelly Cassidy for standing with a victim of sexual harassment is unacceptable.
I'm so grateful that the IL House Women's Caucus and the IL Senate Women's Caucus are supporting @RepKellyCassidy the way they haven't supported me. Many thanks to Kelly for standing with me when no one else would - I'm standing with you too. https://t.co/ZBd3u0I4Zy
* Smart move. Click the pic for the full letter with attachments…
…Adding… You may recall that Speaker Madigan did something very similar back in 2013 when he asked the Legislative Inspector General to investigate his involvement in a Metra scandal. While Madigan’s office claimed in 2014 that the LIG “found no violation of any law,” the report was later leaked and it wasn’t very flattering, to say the least.
* Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) and a coalition of female lawmakers plan to call for Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter to investigate Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s allegations that Speaker Madigan interfered with her employment with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
“I’m asking other members to call for an investigation, to call for our Legislative Inspector General to immediately investigate Representative Kelly Cassidy’s allegations,” Bush told me this afternoon. “We really believe that there should be an immediate investigation by our Legislative Inspector General. Part of our responsibility as Senators if we hear or or know of something that we believe is an ethics violation, we are also required to report.”
I also showed Sen. Bush the letter that Speaker Madigan wrote to Cassidy this morning on my phone (read the letter here) and she said it’s all the more reason for Porter to step in.
“If what the Speaker is saying is true, then that’s what an investigation would find,” Bush said.
Bush said she didn’t yet know which of her fellow lawmakers would officially be in on the statement, but said it’s currently being drafted.
* I had been looking to speak with Sen. Bush because she’s one of the three women heading up the sexual harassment panel that’s supposed to provide independent oversight for allegations of sexual harassment in the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Bush said the panel won’t weigh in. I also spoke with Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) and Comptroller Mendoza’s spokesman, who said the same. The panel, which hasn’t been terribly active yet but has events planned this summer, is focused on campaign-related issues, not government.
This post will be updated when the letter is distributed.
*** UPDATE *** Here it is…
Members of the Illinois State Senate Women’s Caucus stand in support of an immediate independent investigation by the Legislative Inspector General into the public allegations of retaliation leveled by Rep. Kelly Cassidy.
Rep. Cassidy had the courage to come forward and discuss her experiences. We stand in support of Cassidy. The Capitol must not be a place for retaliation, harassment or intimidation of any kind.
It is important that an independent investigation by the Legislative Inspector General be carried out in order to restore public confidence in the system. It’s time to stand together to address any culture of fear and intimidation that may exist.
Former House Republican leader Tom Cross moderates a City Club of Chicago panel featuring former state GOP chairman Pat Brady and conservative radio host Dan Proft.
Those two guys really do not like each other.
…Adding… House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is listed as an event sponsor. You’ll recall that Proft spent a fortune against Durkin in the March primary.
…Adding… The Pritzker campaign sent this out shortly before the program began…
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new digital video, “Governor Without a Party,” highlighting Bruce Rauner’s fractured Republican party.
Months after barely winning the Republican primary, Rauner has stumbled from crisis to crisis, failing to unite his party behind his failed agenda. The new video features Rauner’s primary challenger, Jeanne Ives, attacking the governor for his failed leadership and reporters discussing the ongoing party rift.
“Bruce Rauner’s party is fractured beyond repair as he stumbles into a general election running on a record of crisis and damage,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “It is clear to Illinoisans of all political stripes that Bruce Rauner is a failure, and it will take a lot more than desperate attempts to dodge accountability and shallow gestures towards unity to bring his party back together.”
JB believes there should be zero tolerance for harassment and retaliation of any kind and he has built a campaign and will build an administration that reflects those values.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy bravely came forward with her story today, and JB believes she must be heard and that there should immediately be an independent investigation.
Women should never be forced to accept sexual harassment as the price of admission to a career in politics and JB stands with women like Rep. Kelly Cassidy who are leading the charge to change that culture.
*** UPDATE *** From Will Allison at the Rauner campaign…
Once again, Pritzker will not criticize Mike Madigan despite clear cases of sexual harassment and retaliation. It’s time for Pritzker to break his pattern of silence on Madigan and call him out for his corruption.
The people of Illinois owe @RepKellyCassidy a huge debt of gratitude for having the guts and integrity to speak out. The only way things will change is if people start telling these stories. https://t.co/o7jc0ZkYA1
Look at Madigan's "denial" letter and pay special attention to where he writes "I have never" and where he writes "no one in my office". That distinction explains much of what's going on here, and it matches Kelly's allegations perfectly.https://t.co/H0IQAQGBTI
Cassidy called [Speaker Madigan’s] denial the “discredit-the-target portion of the program.”
She said the letter is “missing the forest for the trees.”
“The point is not my opposition to the bill, which was no secret to them and certainly wasn’t a problem for them until Bob Rita did this,” Cassidy said .”He took the bill to come after me. He doesn’t care about the sheriff or this bill. He doesn’t work in that arena. He doesn’t do criminal justice stuff. I think the more we focus on that, the more we miss the reality.”
Cassidy said it doesn’t matter whether the speaker directed actions, but it is representative of a culture within his organization.
In February, a lawyer for political consultant Alaina Hampton sent a “cease and desist” letter to a man whom the believed was trying to find “dirt” on Hampton — the woman whose sexual harassment allegations led Madigan to fire a longtime aide who is the brother of the ward’s alderman. Jack Hynes, the man in question, called it a “casual conversation” and denied that he acted on behalf of anyone, especially the speaker or his staff.
Democratic State Rep. Cassidy Retaliated Against For Speaking Out On Madigan’s Mishandling Of Sexual Harassment Allegations
Madigan Chief of Staff and DPI Exec. Director Tim Mapes made “chilling” phone call concerning Rep. Cassidy’s employment
“This is how Mike Madigan operates: he will use the levers of power to retaliate against those who oppose him. The ‘chilling’ phone call Madigan Chief of Staff and DPI Executive Director Tim Mapes made concerning Rep. Cassidy’s employment in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was a shameless attempt to silence those speaking out against Madigan’s corruption and stonewall any efforts to move an independent investigation against Madigan’s DPI forward.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Democratic State Representative Kelly Cassidy is saying that she’s faced retaliation for speaking out against House Speaker Mike Madigan’s mishandling of sexual harassment allegations from within his political organization. Cassidy called for an independent investigation into the Democratic Party of Illinois and Friends of Michael J. Madigan to review harassment policies and responses to complaints.
Days after calling for that investigation, Speaker Madigan’s Chief of Staff, Tim Mapes, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, called the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where Cassidy held a part-time position, to confirm that Cassidy was still employed there. Cassidy said Mapes’ phone call was “a little chilling” and “felt like a warning.” DPI is a defendant in the sexual harassment lawsuit brought forward by Alaina Hampton.
Cassidy also said that she has attempted to communicate with Speaker Madigan concerning pending legislation, but her requests have been ignored thus far. Additionally, Democratic State Rep. Bob Rita confronted Cassidy on the House floor concerning legislation she opposes, but her former boss, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, supports. Rita told Cassidy that he would “expect to be fired” if he did what she did.
Cassidy eventually resigned her position in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office because she believes she was facing “retribution” over the matter.
This is how Mike Madigan operates: he will use the levers of power to retaliate against those who oppose him.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Rauner campaign…
JB Pritzker says he will put ‘people over politics,’ but his past actions prove that he will put himself before everyone else.
Pritzker is outspoken in his campaign ads that victims of sexual harassment need to be believed: “[when] women everywhere need me to say ‘we believe you,’ you will find me standing right there next to you.”
Now is his chance. Yesterday, Rep. Kelly Cassidy came forward to tell her story of being pushed out of her job with the Cook County Sheriff’s office in retaliation for speaking out about harassment allegations in Madigan’s political organization.
Pritzker has a history of being unable to criticize Madigan, particularly on this issue.
Chicago Tribune: “’I think people like J.B. Pritzker who can’t criticize him (Madigan), that makes it very difficult to win the general election,’ Kennedy said. ‘It makes him almost unelectable in a general election. We need to have that freedom, the space to be critical of our own party. Unless we have that freedom, then the leadership is, in fact, toxic.’”
WMBD: “In four minutes and 25 seconds of discussing the sexual harassment scandal, Pritzker did not once say ‘Madigan.’ Madigan on Friday sent a letter to lawmakers saying it’s time to ‘rethink the culture of politics.’”
State Journal-Register: “‘It took J.B. Pritzker a week to get permission from Mike Madigan to even name him in talking about the sexual harassment coverup,’ Biss said. ‘We need someone with independence…’”
WCIA: Biss continues calling Pritzker, “Madigan’s candidate” after debate wraps up.
Chicago Tribune: “Pritzker, who has successfully coalesced support from the Democratic Party establishment, has repeatedly declined to say if he thought Madigan should step down as party chairman, House speaker, or both. He declined to say so again on Thursday.”
So does Pritzker stand with Kelly Cassidy and Alaina Hampton or Mike Madigan?
