* From a Bruce Rauner press release…

BRADY, DILLARD AND RUTHERFORD EXPOSED IN CLOUT SCANDAL

“Kirk Dillard is the worst type of career politician. He’s double-talking and has more clout baggage than O’Hare during a snowstorm. The fact is Kirk Dillard and the other career politicians repeatedly clouted people into the University of Illinois and never thought twice about it. Voters know he is a hypocrite and will reject him.” – Mike Schrimpf, Rauner Campaign Spokesperson

BRADY, DILLARD AND RUTHERFORD USED THEIR CLOUT AS STATE LAWMAKERS TO GAIN EDGE FOR POTENTIAL U. OF I. ENTRANTS

“The politicians have been named as part of an investigation by the Chicago Tribune into the use of clout in the admission process at the state’s flagship university. … Others on the list include: state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington; state Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa…” [The Pantagraph, Local lawmakers on alleged U of I ‘clout list’, 06/12/2009]

“In Order Of Most To Least %% Lawmaker # Requests # Known # Known Admissions Denials … Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) 7 3 1 …” [Chicago Tribune, Who made admissions requests, 06/11/2009]

“…University logs obtained by the Tribune show that Dillard’s name was tied to seven students on the clout list since 2005.” [Chicago Tribune, Bill would fire beleaguered U.ofI. trustees, 7/16/09]

Considering his alleged involvement in the Walter Payton College Prep clout scandal, that’s pretty rich.

Discuss.

*** UPDATE *** From Sen. Brady’s campaign…

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, released the following statement today regarding reports of Bruce Rauner’s clouting of his daughter into Walter Payton College Prep School in 2008:

“Again we see more evidence of Bruce Rauner’s attempts to wield his clout through his checkbook. It’s more political insider pay-to-play we don’t need or want in Illinois.

Clouting his daughter’s admission to a prestigious public magnet school and following up with $750,000 in donations to the schools smack of insider politics that stain the integrity of our party and strain the trust of Illinois citizens.

Political clout, favoritism and preferential treatment, as the Chicago schools’ inspector general found, have no place whatsoever in government today, and they will not in my administration.

I asked for answers from him yesterday, and I’m asking again today.

We don’t know all the answers, but we now know that Mr. Rauner followed up clouting his daughter’s admittance to Payton with contributions many times larger than the household incomes of most Illinoisans.

We know that GTCR, Mr. Rauner’s firm, got a $50 million investment in state pension funds when corrupt insider Stuart Levine sat on the Teachers Retirement System board and when Levine was also a $25,000-a-month contract with another company owned in part by GTCR.

That may be his way of doing business, but it’s not the way of business of Illinois and Illinois voters.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** Video pointed to by the Rauner campaign of today’s press conference by Sen. Kirk Dillard…

As the Rauner camp points out, Dillard wrote 7 letters and three were admitted. That’s not the explanation Dillard gave today.