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* From the Twitters…
@BruceRauner Fourth. Didja forget MSI?
— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) May 1, 2014
* Bill Cameron at WLS has more…
The feds in Springfield are now on the case investigating Governor Pat Quinn’s very controversial anti-violence program that the GOP calls a slush fund to buy black votes before the 2010 election.
This is the fourth Illinois governor in a row to be investigated by the feds. Before Quinn, governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan did time, or still is doing time, for selling their offices. Even Jim Edgar was probed in the MSI scandal, but survived the search.
Jim Thompson was not investigated, but he was the feds, having been the U.S. attorney who sent another governor to prison, Otto Keener, in a race track stock scandal. Governor Dan Walker did time, not for corruption, but for bank fraud after he was out of office.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:32 am
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Some folks get to keep riding the bus. Some are going to fall (be pushed) under it so the bus may continue its route.
Comment by RonOglesby Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:35 am
Puppies…..
As this progresses I am looking forward to legislation to protect red pandas and make harassing an otter a felony in Illinois…
I still think at this point when you are sworn in as governor they take you to a small room an introduce you to your investigators with the US Attorney’s office.
Comment by OneMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:38 am
I think you mean Otto Kerner
Comment by SaxMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:40 am
Four investigations by the Feds. Two Dems two Repubs. At least it’s even.
Comment by Tom Joad Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:42 am
Hypothetically speaking if Quinn is indicted or has to step down, what is the process for the Dems to find a new candidate? Or do Dems just secede to Rauner Inc.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:44 am
This one could have legs and do serious political damage. It also could turn out to have some substance, IMHO.
(It was the IDOT hiring complaint that I thought wouldn’t interest the Feds.)
If Rauner can maintain these doubts and implications of corruption surrounding Quinn in the press for two or three months, he can win without presenting anything but an alternative name.
That’s assuming he survives a series of direct attacks on his business practices and character — which is the logical counter move.
Sad, isn’t it.
Comment by Walker Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:45 am
–Jim Thompson was not investigated, but he was the feds, having been the U.S. attorney who sent another governor to prison, Otto Keener,–
Kerner also had been the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District.
For much of Thompson’s tenure as governor, two of his former assistant prosecutors, Dan Webb and Anton Valukas, we’re U.S. Attorney for the Northern District.
Which is nice.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:47 am
Why do you say they are investigating the governor, as opposed to somebody else? I don’t believe any targets have been identified.
Comment by Mighty M. Mouse Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:47 am
Thompson, aside from having been the Feds, was also smart enough to do the deals out in the open and to keep them in the gray area. When questioned by reporters about this or that deal, one of his classic lines was: “If you don’t like it, print it!”
Comment by RNUG Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:48 am
RonO: You’re one of my favorite commenters. Don’t be a stranger, and tell us if the grass is really greener if you go.
Comment by Walker Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:49 am
See, both Rauner and I forgot MSI.
Tough tradition.
After 2 in a row, how many more, finally, makes the number of Governors seem less trivial.
I’m plain dumb on this, frankly. On one hand Federal investigations can start very benign, and a case could be made that many things, others believe, should be investigated. I totally get.
But the results, with 4 governors that were sent to prison for one thing or another, makes you take pause.
However, Walker or Ryan, Blago or Kerner;
Their sins are their own sins, and not the Sin… of winning election to be Illinois Governor.
I know I need to remember that. “Culture” of whatever is but a crutch to bring in Drive-By snarkiness, or a pillar to hold up the house that needs to be “cleaned”
Four men made choices. That is the commonality. Everything else is crafting a narrative that leads to lines being dropped on the stump like “My daughter asked me if I was going to go to jail.”
Maybe the answer should be, “depends if I make made unrelated bad choices like the other four.”
If anyone can predict the choices of all our next governors and then ensure and guarantee… those choices, either in office or out, will not be criminal, let me know.
A constitutional office is not corrupt; it’s those who make themselves corrupt that corrupt the title…they hold.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:51 am
Insert image of Sheila Simon waiting patiently by the phone here….
Comment by OneMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:53 am
An Illinois rahmner smear tradition
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:54 am
“Maybe the answer should be, ‘depends if I make a choice to commit a crime, or unrelated bad choices like the other four.’…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:55 am
I think Governor Len Small of Kankakee still has to hold the course record for being investigated, but he was never convicted. He did have to repay some money to the state and there are credible stories that the jury in his corruption trial had been fixed to secure his acquittal. He managed to be reelected afterwards, partly on the strength of a sympathy vote as his wife died on the night that he was acquitted.
Former Governor William Stratton endured some investigations after leaving office (tax related), but the charges did not stick.
Comment by Upon Further Review Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:57 am
–However, Walker or Ryan, Blago or Kerner;–
They’re all very different cases.
Walker, of course, was convicted on charges from actions while he was out of office.
Kerner, I think, thought he was just operating business as usual with the racetrack stock options, as he made no effort to conceal them and reported profits from exercising the options. An ambitious young prosecutor thought otherwise.
Ryan, I think, probably knew he was on the edge, but thought it was so nickel-and-dime that it didn’t matter.
Blago was a sociopath who begged the U.S. Attorney to come after him. and kept wheeling-and-dealing even after the feds were so far up him he could smell the Brylcrem.
Blago really is very different from the other three.
The only thing they all have in common is that they were elected by Illinois voters.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:00 am
The guys I hang with forgot about Edgar and MSI. Which surprised even them when I told them that this is the fourth Fed investigation. We also talked about why it had been forgotten.
It was at the end of the Edgar governorship and after his health problems and disinterest in continuing as governor, there wasn’t a lot of interest in what happened to him. Edgar was seen as heading out the door.
Like Quinn, Edgar had a reputation of honesty among voters. So there was a reservoir of cynicism about MSI.
After the Thompson years, a lot of Illinoisans wanted to believe that corruption was behind them. While it can be noted that Thompson was a former Fed prosecutor and could influence any investigations, had they arisen - they didn’t. Illinoisans wanted to enjoy the 1980s under a Thompson administration. Boomers were raising their children. The frightening slide of the 1970s had seemed to have ended. The End of The Economic World, didn’t come.
So by the time of the MSI investigation, Illinoisans weren’t familiar with how Federal investigations impacted their government. It all seemed rather novel at the time as a result to many. Instead of wondering about Governor Edgar, a lot of folks were already interested in who would replace him.
Then came Ryan and his situation. Illinoisans learned how a governor went down damaged while the state economy wobbled. By the time Ryan was finished, he looked like a one-off situation of government corruption. Remember, he did his deeds while SOS, not as governor. However after decades of GOP rule, Ryan signaled an end of that era.
Rod Blagojevich was supposedly the white knight. He was supposedly the antidote to government corruption. When Illinoisans had hoped to turn a corner on corruption, they discovered that with Blagojevich, the worse was yet to come.
Consequently, Quinn has only his good name to shield him from Illinoisans tired of corruption and scandal. Being tied to Blagojevich caused him remarkably little harm politically considering his five years of public defense and praise of what everyone knew - that Blagojevich was a disaster as governor, a disaster as a person and a catastrophic failure as a white knight against corruption.
Blagojevich’s treacherous crimes against Illinoisans didn’t stop at what he was convicted over. He was not elected to be just any Illinois governor. He was supposed to be the guy who restored dignity to the Office. Blagojevich’s failure as the soothing salve to a public weary and cynical after George Ryan, is often overlooked. How Blagojevich’s party has handled their former governor while he was in office and his impeachment and removal from office, has not inspired confidence or restored trust.
Consequently these failures has awakened a majority of Illinoisans to consider electing a man who claimed to have been from no political party. Understandably, it appears that a majority of Illinoisans are willing to place additional term conditions and qualifiers upon their elected officials - term limits.
And we haven’t even covered the economic disaster which has befallen the State since 1998. Add that to this toxic political atmosphere and we end up with a demand for change in 2014.
Quinn is in over his head.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:02 am
===The only thing they all have in common is that they were elected by Illinois voters.===
That is my hope that people would take away from all this ugly history.
Pretty lazy to lump the Constitutional Office as the “Corruptor”. They all held a common title. That’s it.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:04 am
isn`t there some cliff we can carve there face`s into?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:05 am
Q: “Hypothetically speaking if Quinn is indicted or has to step down, what is the process for the Dems to find a new candidate?”
A: 10 ILCS 5/Art. 25. RESIGNATIONS AND VACANCIES
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:07 am
===Hypothetically speaking if Quinn is indicted or has to step down===
Take a breath already. As of yet, there is zero evidence linking any serious wrongdoing directly to Quinn.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:12 am
Just the investigation is enough to make me sad. I am NOT for Quinn. I am hoping for the sake of what I think to be a great state… It never comes to indictment. No matter how it may help my party of preference. It’s not good for any of us… R or D…
Comment by Walter Mitty Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:16 am
shouldn`t they be named by number,illinois is just more open about it`s politics than other states,thanks for leading the way to a police state
Comment by Anonymous Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:17 am
===Consequently these failures has awakened a majority of Illinoisans to consider electing a man who claimed to have been from no political party. Understandably, it appears that a majority of Illinoisans are willing to place additional term conditions and qualifiers upon their elected officials - term limits.
And we haven’t even covered the economic disaster which has befallen the State since 1998. Add that to this toxic political atmosphere and we end up with a demand for change in 2014.
Quinn is in over his head.===
Welp, that was fun.
Term limits would have been incredibly important in stopping … Former Governors… Kerner and Walker…
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:18 am
I wonder if ‘ almost the weekend’ and natasha korecki’s blog are being ’sponsored’ by the same person?
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:18 am
I don’t normally stick up for Quinn, and it pains me to do so here, but I think there is a factual difference between the current “scandal” and Blago/Ryan scandals — no one is claiming Quinn was directly involved in wrongdoing. Both Blago and Ryan took part in the schemes. Quinn showed poor judgment but putting some not-so-honest people in positions of power, but I don’t think anyone has accused him of actually being involved.
Comment by Blah Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:21 am
=I wonder if ‘ almost the weekend’ and natasha korecki’s blog are being ’sponsored’ by the same person?=
You caught me! I’m just an Illinois constituent who was disappointed Kwame did not run. I thought he had an opening. An the downstate counties rebelling against Quinn helps support that. I don’t think Kwame would ever run if something detrimental did happen to PQ this election cycle. And as always hindsight is 20/20.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:23 am
Somebody conjure up the spirit of Sherman Skolnick.
Comment by lake county democrat Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:24 am
Quinn. Inept, yes. Corrupt? I doubt it.
Comment by DuPage Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:24 am
“This is the fourth Illinois governor in a row to be investigated by the feds. Before Quinn, governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan did time, or still is doing time, for selling their offices. Even Jim Edgar was probed in the MSI scandal, but survived the search.
Jim Thompson was not investigated, but he was the feds, having been the U.S. attorney who sent another governor to prison, Otto Keener, in a race track stock scandal. Governor Dan Walker did time, not for corruption, but for bank fraud after he was out of office.”
Something in the water?
Comment by AFSCME Steward Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:26 am
State politics can be dirty; any successful pol at the state level almost has to have been exposed to corruption at some time or another. Not surprising that Quinn is being investigated; but in the end, I think that he is inherently honest and nothing will come out of it against him.
Despite my opposition to some of the things that Quinn has done, I’m not sure that if the same “problems” happen to Rauner, the result will be the same.
Comment by downstate commissioner Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:26 am
–And we haven’t even covered the economic disaster which has befallen the State since 1998.–
What happened in 1998? Illinois economy was humming along pretty good for many years prior to the housing crash.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:27 am
To be fair, unlike Blago and Ryan, Quinn and Edgar’s personal conduct were not placed under scrutiny by the feds.
Also, if Patrick Fitzgerald was in the US Atty’s office during the Thompson administration, he would have found plenty of patronage to prosecute….which, I guess, we can say about every governor.
Comment by Adam K. Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:32 am
Term limits would have been incredibly important in stopping … Former Governors… Kerner and Walker…
If you want to ridicule voters who support expanding the conditions and limits currently placed on office holders through term limits, it would probably be more effective if you actually took the examples they use, instead of making stuff up like that.
Your statement is foolish, and no one is saying it but you.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:34 am
This appears to be Quinn’s “DOC early release” for the 2014 cycle. It promises to produce future twists and turns. No doubt Quinn will task a top aide to manage the anti-violence grant program aftershocks, as he did in 2010 with the DOC deal. Fortunately there are many animal species to protect…
Comment by Anon Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:36 am
–And we haven’t even covered the economic disaster which has befallen the State since 1998.–
We got hit by the DotCom bust, Enron and the Stock Market stumbled badly. After Bush took office, the economic situation appeared to warrant those Bush Tax Cuts. Illinois took a hit back then and hadn’t recovered before the Recession hit.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:37 am
Up until yesterday (when I started asking questions about the CNN Rahm infomercial Chicagoland) korecki’s blog and online tv show ‘off message’ was sponsored by the pr firm jasculca terman. Rick terman as you know was with Rahm in the Clinton White House. Jasculca terman was also the firm that coordinated the cnn show with Redford and his producers. But I guess it will take a’serious’ journalist to figure all this out, right? Lol
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:37 am
===Your statement is foolish, and no one is saying it but you.===
Term limits would have stopped the indictments or convictions of Kerner and Walker?
You made this about term limits and this history, te limits has zero to do with any of this, especially Kerner or Walker.
Pointing that out is not foolish, it is understanding facts, lol
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:37 am
It was good to see Cameron remember blinky Jim was caught up in MSI, decided to quit and probably would have caught unindicted co-conspirator( some may forget about MSI guys dropping off free computers at the log home).
More interesting we think Mitt Rauner is at least three for three on the number of companies the media he owned and looks kinky —Killing Grandma, Biggest Accounting Fraud and Don’t Know Stu. We think he might want to quit making lists.
BTW Big Jim did draw a little lookee over the gold coins he took as a XMAS gift from a labor leader —we thing he said they were “antiques” and not cash. And then there was the giant union insurance scandal…but that was after he left office….and he skated
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:41 am
Term limits would have done absolutely nothing to stop Walker’s indictment and conviction because a) he got voted out in the PRIMARY after only one term anyway and b) his criminal conviction stemmed from activities undertaken long AFTER he left office. Really, in any list of criminally convicted IL governors Walker’s name ought to at least have an asterisk since his wrongdoing had no connection to his office.
Comment by Secret Square Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:46 am
–Illinois took a hit back then and hadn’t recovered before the Recession hit–
That’s not even close to being true. Geez, it was just a few years ago, not ancient history.
It was called a housing “boom” because housing was booming. Construction was going strong all over the state.
As late as Sept. 2006, the state unemployment rate was 4.4%. The economy was cooking.
Must have been the dynamic leadership and fiscal stewardship of Blago, Madigan and Emil Jones. Because. as many here tell us, state government drives the economy.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:48 am
Another irony: the only governor of the past 40 or so years to NOT be the subject of any criminal investigation — Jim Thompson — is also the only one whose tenure would have been cut short by any of the proposed term limits had they been in place at the time.
Comment by Secret Square Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:53 am
Rauner already got his millions out of the pension funds - Edgar - now where did we bury those computers?”
Comment by Jen Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:57 am
That would make Samuel H. Shapiro our best governor as he wasn’t in office long enough to do anything.
Comment by a drop in Friday, May 2, 14 @ 10:58 am
Jen… He got millions from the pension funds for exceptional returns in hard times… I am not willing to give back the money he made in my fund let’s move on from the lack of reality to the issue… And no other TRS benefector is either… Unless you say we give ours back, then stop the arguement. Danny, is this Russia? No, it’s not Russia…
Comment by Walter Mitty Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:03 am
The lumping in of Governor Edgar is wrong and ignores the facts of the MSI case. It was the Governor’s office - specifically Mike Lawrence - who turned over critical information about potential wrong doing to investigators. Edgar was not the target of the investigation and was not accused of any illegal activity.
The suggestion that because he was retiring that is why investigators didn’t go after him is absurdly false. The suggestion insults a former governor who served honorably and it insults federal prosecutors. They didn’t go after Governor Edgar because he did nothing wrong. Prosecutors made that clear at the time and the media has never accused the Governor of committing a crime.
Governor Edgar’s critics have used a McCarthy-like approach to insinuate or imply wrong-doing but they have yet to specify his specific bad or illegal actions.
Having worked for Governor Edgar for many years, it was clear to me and the others on his staff that he would not tolerate criminal conduct. Imply and insinuate all you want but it does not change the fact that A)Edgar’s office reported wrong-doing when it found it and B)Governor Edgar’s Administration both in the Secretary of State’s Office and the Governor’s Office was run cleanly.
Accusing people and name calling should not be done without a foundation in fact. Let me remind readers of a couple of facts:
Governor Stratton’s name is raised on the list of “bad guys” and that is very unfair. He was charged by the Feds with a tax evasion charge years after his governorship and it had nothing to do with his public position. When his case went to trial, the jury quickly found him Not Guilty. It was a weak case, he was found to be innocent and yet he is listed on the dubious list of errant politicians - and that is not right.
Even in Dan Walker’s case, he was not indicted for anything to do with his governorship; he was indicted and convicted for wrong deeds associated with a failed business deal - years after his governorship.
In fairness to our current governor, we need to be careful about discerning the distinction between indictments of other people and the governor’s personal responsibility. I am quite concerned about the allegations but until the governor is charged with a crime or his link is made to the specific legal violation, the public should be leery of comparisons with his predecessor.
Comment by Al Grosboll Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:06 am
It’s not a super trifecta, it’s a superfecta. My bad.
Comment by Keyser Soze Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:11 am
The suggestion that because he was retiring that is why investigators didn’t go after him is absurdly false.
No one said that. I mentioned that perhaps Illinoisans weren’t all that worked up about it because a lot of us didn’t see him relevant in the 1998 election, due to health and other issues. There was no mentioned of investigators slacking off.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:18 am
does a near miss count?
Republican William Stratton was indicted for tax evasion in connection to his use of campaign funds, but he was ultimately acquitted. (credit brian gaines, ill issues)
Comment by Langhorne Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:23 am
– Danny, is this Russia? No, it’s not Russia…–
No, just a place where a handful of wired insiders can get fat at the public trough for doing very little work.
Studies have shown time and again that over time the private equity guys do no better than simple index funds — but they scoop the cream right off the top.
Private equity, bond counsel, bond underwriting…. The fees they collect for the minimal services they provide are way out of whack. They’re anachronisms.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:25 am
(time mag, dec 08)Reach as far back into Illinois history as you like and your hands will likely come out dirty. Blagojevich is the sixth Illinois governor to be subjected to arrest or indictment — seventh if you count Joel Aldrich Matteson (governor from 1853-1857), who tried to cash $200,000 of stolen government scrip he “found” in a shoebox. Matteson pulled a “how-did-that-get-there?” excuse and escaped indictment by promising to pay it back. (Oddly, this isn’t Illinois’s only shoebox-full-of-money scandal; after former secretary of state Paul Powell’s death in 1970, a search of his home revealed shoeboxes full of hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks made out to him by unsuspecting Illinois residents who thought they were paying license plate registration fees).
Lennington Small served as Illinois governor in the 1920s, during which time he was charged with embezzling over $1 million in state funds. Small went on trial in 1922 — while still serving as governor — and despite substantial evidence, he was acquitted and went on to serve seven more years in office. After his trial, four of the jurors received state jobs. In 1965, four years after leaving office, William Stratton was indicted on charges related to misuse of campaign funds. While he was acquitted, his successor, Otto Kerner, wasn’t so lucky. In 1962, during his first term as governor, Kerner — a handsome statesman who had married a former Chicago mayor’s daughter — made deals with a horse racing association, promising favorable race dates in return for $356,000 worth of stock at prices far below market value. He neglected to mention anything about it on his tax returns. Kerner was convicted in 1973 of bribery, conspiracy, income tax evasion, mail fraud and perjury and was sentenced to three years in prison. Dan Walker, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who made a name for himself by heading up the investigation into the riots at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention, came into office the same year Kerner was convicted; after he left, he started a savings and loan business and was indicted for making $1.4 million in fraudulent loans, which he used to pay personal expenses including maintenance on his 80-foot yacht. Walker pled guilty, saying, “I have deep regrets and no excuses.” He was sentenced to seven years in prison but served only 17.5 months.
Comment by Langhorne Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:25 am
Word… The process is fund managers manage funds. By theonly measure rthat matters are results. His were incredibly terrific in bad times. Perhaps you would rather the government manage the funds investment because it’s so easy… Or maybe you or I? Start the petition to have him give his fees back and the money that was gained by the results. I thought not.
Comment by Walter Mitty Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:44 am
my memory is not clear about Orville Hodge. does anyone remember?
Comment by Barney Friday, May 2, 14 @ 11:59 am
Thompson played a role in the Hollinger International scandal, which took down Lord Conrad Black and David Radler. He was chair of the board’s audit committee.
Comment by Neglected stepchild Friday, May 2, 14 @ 12:07 pm
Orville Hodge–
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_Hodge
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-01-01/sports/8701010079_1_mr-hodge-state-auditor-orville-hodge
Use the Google for more info.
Comment by Nearly Normal Friday, May 2, 14 @ 12:23 pm
The bigger issue here is the realization moving forward that anyone running for public office against a Rahm controlled canidate can expect a very organized hostile media creating and pushing manufactured scandals.
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 12:34 pm
===The bigger issue here is…===
…that the Past 4 governors have face prosecutorial scrutiny, and …4 past governors, period, have found themselves incarcerated.
Your welcome.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 12:47 pm
No
The bigger issue is that it has become common and instead of either party fixing it - they were exposed as crooks as well. So voters cannot depend upon either party at a time of mass budgetary problems and general malaise.
This is why we got Rauner and why there is bipartisan support for government reforms.
Both parties brought this on themselves by not demanding more from their candidates and elected officials.
You can single out every individual issue, but that is not the point.
The point is it the crap seems to be cascading down on Illinois and voters are sick of it all.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 12:59 pm
Dear Blah - no one in an exempt position got hired at IDOT without the approval of the Governor’s office (Quinn,Ryan Croke or Jack Lavin), so to say Quinn wasn’t involved is ridiculous. Quinn’office selected/approved/hired the employees at DNR that were recently fired. Either way Quinn looses because either he didn’t have a handle on his administration and what they were doing or he did know and chose to do nothing until they were caught.
Comment by kathryn Friday, May 2, 14 @ 1:12 pm
What does that have to do with Quinn? Up until rahmner won the primary Quinn was known for one thing if nothing else and that was honesty. And now you are all comparing him to past criminals? Why? Because the Rahm media told you so? And what’s with your hostility towards me? What did I ever do to you? Or is it that Rahm hates me so you feel you have to as well?
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 1:13 pm
CFS, c’mon man. Thompson was the investigator, not a target, on that ULLICO “scandal of the decade” back about 10-11 years ago.
The most ironic thing about those events is that they opened the door for a couple of Illinois boys wanting to get away from some Federal heat of their own to take over the place as “reformers.”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, May 2, 14 @ 1:22 pm
===What does that have to do with Quinn?===
He’s the 4th to be investigated, in a row.
Please, keep up.
===This is why we got Rauner and why there is bipartisan support for government reforms.
Both parties brought this on themselves by not demanding more from their candidates and elected officials.===
Yep. Both the governmental and political begat Rauner.
Term limits wouldn’t have stopped Kerner or Walker, that is also true, but your point above, I agree.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 1:33 pm
I am originally from Louisiana; and I thought Louisiana was corrupt Between all these scandals and the politicians trashing the Constitutions (SB1)where is this state going to be in a few
years? What individual would want to see their children and grandchildren grow up in such a corrupt state
Comment by Earl Shumaker Friday, May 2, 14 @ 1:45 pm
Let’s investigate the investigation, how is the Rutherford investigation going? Or was that just a republican primary investigation? Now we have a general election investigation? Where have I heard of these types of investigate the political opponents of rich and powerful people investigations before? It can be a real bummer to know something about history! Lol!
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:02 pm
Follow the post, please keep up. Four governors in a row, the last, had Bill Holland hand over his “investigation” to the US Attorney.
Bill Holland now is a stooge for ….?
Nope.
Have a good weekend
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:11 pm
– Between all these scandals and the politicians trashing the Constitutions (SB1)where is this state going to be in a few
years? What individual would want to see their children and grandchildren grow up in such a corrupt state–
I hate to break it to you, but there has never been a time in either Illinois or Louisiana when politics wasn’t lousy with corruption, lol.
That’s not a defense of corruption or this era’s motley bamboozlers, but it is an absolute fact.
Today’s nincompoops who get caught on the wrong side of the line don’t compare to the great corruption kings of the past in Illinois and Louisiana.
Those guys were gamblers. Some went bust. Some got rich. Some got caught. Some got clipped. Some got streets named after them.
I don’t think today’s politicians are more corrupt than those in the past. Far from it, if you read even a little history. You could get away with some crazy stuff back in the day.
Seriously, how sad is Blago compared to Huey Long? Or Edwin Edwards? Does George Ryan rate the same as Big Bill Thompson? Or Paul Powell?
The difference now, in the Northern District, there’s a fine-tuned, sophisticated legal machinery that has been on a rip taking down the most stupid corrupt politicians at all levels for some time now.
Business for the U.S. Attorney is good. But the market for their services has always been there.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:46 pm
Osco, I am having sooo much trouble keeping up with you that I have to admit I have absolutely no idea how you even are, have a good weekend whoever you are!
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:48 pm
Aw, that’s ok.
If you can’t connect Bill Holland to your theory about …whomever, it’s not your theory that’s wrong, it’s everyone else.
When you finally do get that Bill Holland report sorted out as a plan from… whoever, you update us.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:55 pm
Osco, open the hatch and get some fresh air, really, I want for you!
Comment by William j Kelly Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:58 pm
You should be busy enough trying to connect Holland’s report and the US Attorney. Attacking me, ain’t going to make the Auditor General’s report any closer to your theories.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 2, 14 @ 3:03 pm
This could be a year when Illinois changes tradition.
Depending on the past regarding scandals and corruption may not be a guide this time.
Previous corruption issues weren’t following earlier corruption issues along with vast examples of government ineptitude, maladministration, million dollar waste and fraud and long standing political power players with children in elected offices as well.
This time things feel different.
Illinois has perhaps finally had enough.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, May 2, 14 @ 3:08 pm
Also just crossing the wires “Guilty plea in Illinois Capitol renovation case”
Wonder whose friend that was? It never ends.
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, May 2, 14 @ 3:27 pm
- wordslinger - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 2:46 pm said:
“Those guys were gamblers. Some went bust. Some got rich. Some got caught. Some got clipped. Some got streets named after them.”
Some of them actually went 4 or 5 out of 6 in your list …
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Comment by Latosha Wednesday, May 21, 14 @ 5:27 pm