* Background is here if you need it. Speaker Welch…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Friday:
“My office is in receipt of a petition to create a special investigating committee to review allegations against Representative Ammons, and we will proceed according to the House rules. I am appointing Leader Curtis J. Tarver II to chair the special investigating committee, along with Leader Jay Hoffman and Representative Lilian Jimenez. These members are experienced attorneys who will lead a fair and independent process.
“I’ve been very clear: The allegations against Representative Ammons are extremely serious, and every person is entitled to due process. At my direction, we took immediate action to uphold the integrity of the House, and the special investigating committee is another process to ensure the House responds appropriately and within our purview—while ensuring nothing we do interferes with the ongoing federal case.”
…Adding… House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
Please be advised of the following appointment to the 104′h General Assembly House Special Investigating Committee, pursuant to the petition filed on July 10, 2026. These appointments are effective immediately.
House Special Investigating Committee
Representative Ryan Spain, Spokesperson
Representative Dan Ugaste
Representative Adam Niemerg
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* Background is here if you need it. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
This morning, 11 members of the Illinois House Republican Caucus filed a petition to initiate a Special Investigating Committee concerning State Representative Carol Ammons.
The petition, submitted pursuant to House Rule 91, seeks to establish a Special Investigating Committee to review allegations of misconduct involving Rep. Ammons. Ammons was indicted earlier this week on multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.
The people of Illinois deserve elected officials who respect the public trust, follow the law, and are held accountable when serious allegations arise. When a sitting member of the General Assembly faces federal criminal charges, the institution has a responsibility to ensure a transparent and thorough review.
This Special Investigative Committee process is about accountability and ensuring the Illinois House fully examines the allegations involving an elected official and determine whether further action is warranted. The allegations against Rep. Ammons are serious and require a full and impartial review by the legislative body in which she serves.
The petition was signed by the following House Republican members:
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer
Rep. Amy Elik
Rep. Jason Bunting
Rep. Regan Deering
Rep. Bradley Fritts
Rep. Brad Halbrook
Rep. Nicole La Ha
Rep. Chris Miller
Rep. Kyle Moore
Rep. Tom Weber
Rep. Blaine Wilhour
The people of Illinois should never have to question whether those entrusted with public office are putting their own interests ahead of the taxpayers they serve. The Special Investigating Committee process represents an important step toward accountability and ensuring the Illinois House takes these allegations seriously.
House Republicans will continue advocating for transparency, accountability, and reforms that ensure elected officials are held responsible for their actions and that Illinois taxpayers can trust their government.
Today’s petition filing now initiates the formation of a committee with three members appointed by both Speaker Welch and Leader McCombie.
* Three signatures automatically trigger the special investigating committee. From House Rule 91…
91. Special Investigating Committee.
(a) Disciplinary proceedings may be commenced by filing with the Speaker and the Minority Leader a petition, signed by 3 or more members of the House, for a special investigating committee. The petition shall contain the alleged charge or charges that, if true, may subject the member named in the petition to disciplinary action by the House and may include any other factual information that supports the charge or charges.
(b) Upon filing the petition, a special investigating committee consisting of 6 members shall be created. The Speaker shall appoint 3 members from the majority caucus and the Minority Leader shall appoint 3 members from the minority caucus. The Speaker shall appoint the Chairperson from among the 6 members. Members signing the petition may not be appointed to the special investigating committee. The contents of a petition for a special investigating committee shall be confidential until the appointment of all members except as to the member named, the members signing it, the Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the members of a special investigating committee.
And from there, the case can be sent to a Select Committee on Discipline. A resolution to expel Ammons would need an “affirmative vote of 79 members elected.”
[Isabel Miller contributed to this post.]
…Adding… Illinois Freedom Caucus…
Illinois Freedom Caucus members State Representatives Chris Miller, Blaine Wilhour, and Brad Halbrook have signed a petition pursuant to House Rule 91 to establish a Special Investigating Committee following the recent federal indictment of House Democrat Representative Carol Ammons.
House Rule 91 provides a mechanism for the Illinois House to investigate matters involving the conduct of its members. The Freedom Caucus believes the seriousness of the allegations warrants a thorough and transparent review by the House.
“The people of Illinois deserve accountability. They deserve transparency. The federal charges against Democrat Representative Carol Ammons are serious, and should be addressed openly and appropriately,” the members said. “A Special Investigating Committee is the proper venue to ensure the House fulfills its responsibility to protect the public trust. It is our hope Speaker Welch will agree, and move quickly to allow this committee to move forward and get the answers our constituents deserve.”
The petition has been signed by 11 House Republicans.
…Adding… News-Gazette…
“Public service is built on trust, and I do not take that responsibility lightly,” Carol Ammons said in a statement Friday morning. “I want to be clear: I have done nothing wrong, and I strongly disagree with the allegations outlined in this indictment. I have complete confidence that the facts will demonstrate my innocence, and I intend to vigorously defend myself through the judicial process.”
About 45 minutes after his wife released her statement, Aaron Ammons provided similar comments.
“I want to state emphatically that I am not guilty of any such offenses,” he said. “I will work with my retained attorney to mount a robust defense against the charges levied against me and I am confident that the facts will prove my innocence.”
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* The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals just upheld the state ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines…
In 2023, six months after a mass shooting at a Chicago suburb’s Independence Day parade left seven dead and dozens more wounded, Illinois enacted the Protect Illinois Communities Act. Among other things, the Act criminalizes the manufacture, sale, delivery, purchase, and possession of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. A grandfather clause permits preexisting lawful own- ers of the regulated items to continue possessing them.
Plaintiffs across Illinois swiftly challenged the Act, suing state and local officials for declaratory and injunctive relief protecting their right to keep and bear arms. One federal court granted a preliminary injunction, two did not, and all three losing parties appealed. We consolidated their appeals and held in Bevis v. City of Naperville, 85 F.4th 1175 (7th Cir. 2023), that the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their challenges
One of the consolidated cases in Bevis was Barnett v. Raoul, which itself was the lead case for a set of four similar challenges pending in the Southern District of Illinois. After building out the record following Bevis, the Barnett parties proceeded to a bench trial. In the end, the district court held that much of the Act violated the Second Amendment and that the offending provisions were not severable. The court therefore enjoined enforcement of the Act in its entirety. The defendants appealed.
For reasons that follow, we focus on the Act’s application to AR-15s and thirty-round rifle magazines. The Act’s restrictions on these items, we hold, are consistent with the principles that underpin our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation. Whether to adopt them is thus a decision reposed in our elected representatives, and we reverse. […]
We REVERSE the judgments of the district court, and we REMAND the cases with directions to enter judgments for the defendants.
Go read the rest.
…Adding… Rep. Bob Morgan…
”Four years after the Highland Park mass shooting, today’s decision of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that the Illinois assault weapon ban (the “Protect Illinois Communities Act”) is constitutional. This is the highest court to rule on the merits of our law, but the ban on weapons of war, high capacity magazines and rapid-fire devices has already led to record lows of gun violence and mass shootings. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to consider whether any assault weapon ban is allowed under the 2nd Amendment, this 7th Circuit ruling should guide the majority of the Supreme Court. We are saving lives in Illinois with our assault weapon ban, and will continue to pursue all options available to end the scourge of gun violence in our state.”
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker…
…Adding… Senate President Harmon…
This decision is a victory for common sense and community safety. These high-powered weapons of war have no place on our streets.
…Adding… AG Raoul…
“This is a win that enhances public safety in Illinois. We have seen the damage that assault weapons and large-capacity magazines can inflict, and these weapons of war have no place in our communities. My office has successfully defended the state’s prohibition on these weapons in both state and federal court, and I am immensely proud of the hardworking attorneys in my office who have worked diligently to preserve this critical public safety measure.”
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* Background is here if you need it. House Speaker Chris Welch…
“The allegations in this indictment are extremely serious. Every person under our system of justice is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process. The U.S. Attorney will lay out evidence in court, where Representative Ammons will have the chance to defend herself against the allegations.
“In the interest of upholding the integrity of the House and ensuring we can continue our important work without distraction, I am taking the following actions immediately while this case is pending: I am temporarily removing Representative Ammons from any and all House Democratic Caucus meetings, from all House committees, and from accessing Speaker’s Office staff and resources. Additionally, I directed my staff to review the budget to determine whether any funds need to be paused or reconsidered.”
…Adding… Gov. JB Pritzker’s office…
“Governor Pritzker believes all elected officials need to be held to the highest standards of integrity and ethics. While everyone is entitled to due process in a court of law, the information outlined in the indictment is extremely concerning and needs to be taken very seriously to ensure elected officials are accountable to the people they represent. As the indictment notes, the State of Illinois had identified and took steps to stop an impermissible conflict of interest with a state grant. The Governor’s Office will review all the other grants listed in the indictment to ensure we are taking all steps possible to protect taxpayer dollars.”
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Feds indict Rep. Ammons (Updated)
Wednesday, Jul 8, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) was indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud, false statement and obstruction charges. From the indictment…
As a political candidate, AMMONS organized a political committee, Friends of Carol Ammons, which she registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) around 2013. AMMONS opened a bank account for the Friends of Carol Ammons into which campaign funds were deposited. […]
For state fiscal year 2020, AMMONS, in her role as a state representative, caused a change in an appropriation for a state grant from the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center, which served children from historically underserved neighborhoods, to Hood Vote Neighborhood Transformation (”Hood Vote”), which was focused on reentry and corrections reform. The total state grant to Hood Vote was approximately $605,431.
AMMONS’s daughter was associated with Hood Vote and eventually served as its Program Director. On or about April 2, 2021, AMMONS’s daughter was paid approximately $3,326 in salary by Hood Vote out of the state grant appropriation. Thereafter, the State of Illinois informed AMMONS and Hood Vote that it was an impermissible conflict of interest for AMMONS’s daughter to be paid out of the state grant funds. Consequently, Hood Vote discontinued paying AMMONS’s daughter a salary.
Beginning on or about 2017, and continuing until on or about June 15, 2025, in Champaign County, in the Central District of Illinois, and elsewhere, CAROL AMMONS, defendant herein, knowingly devised a scheme to defraud the State of Illinois, its taxpayers, and donors and contributors to her campaign and to obtain money and property by means of materially false pretenses, promises, and representations, including by omissions and the concealment of material information.
It was a purpose and objective of the scheme that AMMONS enriched herself by converting contributions and donations to her campaign to her personal use. It was a further purpose and objective of the scheme that she concealed from ISBE and law enforcement authorities that she was engaging in such conversion of campaign funds for her personal benefit.
It was also a purpose and objective of the scheme that AMMONS assisted local organizations in obtaining state grants that would benefit her and her daughter financially in violation of Illinois conflict of interest rules. It was a further purpose and objective of the scheme that she concealed from the public, state authorities, and law enforcement authorities that she and her daughter were benefitting financially from state grants that she had a role in obtaining for local organizations.
As part of the scheme, from approximately 2017 through December of 2022, AMMONS caused funds from her Friends of Carol Ammons campaign account to be paid to herself and to family members that were not legitimate payments for services actually rendered to her political committee.
It was a further part of the scheme that, to avoid detection of the payments to herself, AMMONS caused checks to be issued to an individual in excess of the amount for services actually rendered. AMMONS then required the individual to provide cash kickbacks to her, sometimes referred to as ” gifts.” […]
It was part of the scheme that the D-2 forms did not disclose the illegal cash payments to AMMONS. The D-2 forms falsely classified certain expenditures as mileage reimbursements that were later paid back to AMMONS in cash. The D-2 forms omitted certain payments to AMMONS’s family members. Between January of 2019 and November of 2020, the D-2 forms failed to disclose over $25,000 in payments to individuals, a portion of which were paid back to AMMONS in cash. Between March of 2021 and August of 2022, the D-2 forms falsely claimed payments totaling over $15,000 were paid to a consulting firm, when in fact, they were paid to an individual who paid a portion back to AMMONS in cash.
* The indictment also cites text messages prosecutors allege referred to cash kickbacks…
Message from AMMONS
6/18/2022 What’s up? Gift
10/20/2022 I’m home now but can catch you before board at the county building at 6 to grab the gift
12/2/2022 Hey you dropping my gift off today?
* After eight wire fraud counts, the indictment alleges Rep. Ammons made a false statement to the FBI…
COUNT NINE
(False Statement)
On or about May 21, 2024, in Champaign County, in the Central District of Illinois, CAROL AMMONS, defendant herein, willfully and knowingly made a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, by stating to a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she had no knowledge regarding a conflict of interest with Hood Vote Neighborhood Transformation paying her daughter from a state grant, when AMMONS knew full well that individuals from the State of Illinois and Hood Vote Neighborhood Transition had previously discussed the conflict of interest with AMMONS. […]
COUNT TEN
(Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice) […]
From at least on or about May 21, 2024, and continuing through at least June 15, 2025, in Champaign County, in the Central District of Illinois, and elsewhere, CAROL AMMONS and [Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons], defendants herein, knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other and others, both known and unknown to the grand jury, to engage in misleading conduct toward another person with the intent to hinder and prevent the communication to a federal law enforcement officer of information relating to the commission and possible commission of a federal offense, namely, wire fraud as set forth in Counts One through Eight of this Indictment. […]
On or about February 17, 2025, Aaron Ammons advised a potential witness that there is “nothing illegal” about friends giving friends money regarding illegal cash kickbacks paid to Carol Ammons from the Friends of Carol Ammons political committee. Aaron Ammons communicated with the potential witness on a paper note that Aaron Ammons destroyed after showing it to the potential witness.
COUNT ELEVEN
(Obstruction of Justice) […]
On or about June 9, 2025, in Champaign County, in the Central District of Illinois, AARON AMMONS, defendant herein, knowingly and intentionally engaged in misleading conduct toward another person with the intent to hinder and prevent the communication to a federal law enforcement officer of information relating to the commission and possible commission of a federal offense, namely, wire fraud as set forth in Counts One through Eight of this Indictment, in that Aaron AMMONS knowing and intentionally directed a potential witness to “muddy the waters” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obstruct its ability to trace illegal cash payments to Carol Ammons.
…Adding… House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
“Public officials must be held to the highest ethical standards and Rep. Carol Ammons should resign immediately. Speaker Welch should join me in calling for her resignation. Leadership means holding your own members accountable, not waiting until political pressure becomes unavoidable.
“Elected officials are entrusted with serving the public, not enriching themselves and the seriousness of these allegations demands accountability.
“House Republicans have consistently pushed for stronger ethics laws and greater accountability, while the Democratic majority has repeatedly blocked or ignored meaningful ethics reform. Illinois deserves better.”
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