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React to ComEd Four verdict

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Illinois

* From my in-box. We’ll start at the top with Gov. Pritzker…

Since taking office, Gov. Pritzker has advanced the cause of ethics reform in key areas, especially in bringing more transparency to the process and tightening requirements for lobbyists. The Governor believes we must restore the public’s trust in government and today’s verdicts are proof that no one is above the law.

Background:

Among the measures the Governor has taken:

• Increasing the level of detail required on statements of economic interest
• Increasing lobbyist disclosure requirement, including whether they are elected officials anywhere in Illinois, whether they are registered lobbyists in any unit of local government and whether they subcontract
• Requiring the Secretary of State’s office to create a publicly accessible and searchable database combining registered lobbyist disclosures, contributions by registered lobbyists and statements of economic interest

On top of those important reforms, the clean energy package signed into law by the Governor also included additional reforms to address transparency and reporting for public utilities and their lobbyists to address the alleged conduct cited in the deferred prosecution agreement involving Com-Ed.

* House Speaker Welch…

“At every step, I have emphasized the need for due process and that the federal courtroom was the appropriate venue for questions of guilt or innocence. After reviewing the entirety of the evidence, this jury has sent a clear message that the behavior of the defendants was criminal.

“Since my election as Speaker, I’ve been clear that restoring trust in government was paramount. I’m proud to stand with a new generation of leadership in Illinois who share these values.”

* Senate President Harmon…

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, issued the following statement regarding the verdict in the ComEd trial.

“The behavior brought to light and put on display at this trial was shockingly gluttonous and unhealthy to democracy. We’ve taken concrete steps to discourage bad behavior. But most importantly, I believe we have people committed to behaving better.”

* House Republican Leader McCombie…

After a nearly seven week trial that included testimonies from 50 witnesses and countless FBI recordings, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement in response to the trial’s conclusion:

“We have had an opportunity to tackle ethics in our statehouse for years. This trial has been a costly seven week reminder of just what is wrong in state government. This guilty verdict has proven that the system of doing business in Springfield is broken. This should not have been the first step to rooting out corruption in Illinois, but after today, it is clear there must be a sense of urgency in bringing back the people’s trust in state government.”

* Senate Republican Leader Curran…

Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) offered the following response to today’s GUILTY verdicts in the ComEd corruption trial:

“Today’s verdicts show that no one is above the law, and I hope it will be a catalyst for changing how business is done in Illinois government. We need real reforms that shine a light on the process and confront the culture of corruption that has gone unchecked for decades. It’s time to restore the public’s trust in their state government.”

* Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro…

On Tuesday, Rep. Sanalitro (R - Bloomingdale) released a statement regarding the return of the guilty verdicts in the ‘ComEd Four’ trial.

“A culture of self-dealing was allowed to thrive in the environment of secrecy created by former leadership. I look to spend my time as a State Representative contributing to a new era where service to the public is more common than service to oneself.”

* Rep. Rosenthal…

Following the announcement of the verdict in the “ComEd Four” trial, State Representative Wayne Rosenthal (R-Morrisonville) issued the following statement in response:

“This is my second stint serving in the Illinois General Assembly, and the mob-like culture of corruption that Mike Madigan allowed to spread has been little changed,” said Rosenthal. “Until Democrats get serious about ethics reform, there will be more trials like this, and trust in state government will continue to fall, if that’s even possible. The people of Illinois deserve better, and I will keep fighting for the serious reform we need.”

* Rep. Wilhour…

State Representative Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) is issuing the following statement on the ComEd Four guilty verdicts today.

“When everyday citizens have the opportunity to see how business in Springfield gets done, people go to prison.

Justice is being served with this guilty verdict, but the question needs to be asked, what will change in Springfield as a result of these convictions? If recent history is any indication, the answer is nothing. The influence peddling is as bad as it ever has been. Self-dealing, influence peddling, and backroom cronyism are the norm, not the exception, in Illinois.

Our state was held hostage to special interests before the ComEd Four went to trial, and we are still being held hostage. When Former Speaker Michael Madigan goes to jail, we will know things are really serious.

If we are going to move forward with credibility in this state, we need to enact the toughest anti-corruption laws in the nation to ensure these corrupt scumbags never have power over the citizens of Illinois again.”

I’ve asked his spokesperson whether he has reported his “The influence peddling is as bad as it ever has been” observations to the FBI. I’ll let you know if I get a response.

* Sen. Chesney…

On Tuesday, the “Com-Ed 4” were found guilty on all counts. In response to the verdicts, State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) issued the following statement:

“Justice was delivered today as key players in Illinois’ Com-Ed scandal were finally held accountable for crimes that have eroded the public’s trust in the utility giant and in their state government. There is a complicated and complex pay-to-play system in place at the Statehouse, and this verdict highlights how pervasive this culture of corruption is in Springfield. I applaud the jury for their decision to find all four defendants guilty on all counts related to their involvement in a multi-year conspiracy to bribe former House Speaker Mike Madigan in exchange for favorable votes on legislation that benefitted Com-Ed.

“With the arrival of these verdicts, I hope the majority party will finally recognize that Republican efforts at ethics reforms can no longer be swept under the rug and ignored. I believe Illinoisans will be outraged by the guilty verdicts and will demand action. With three weeks remaining in the legislative session, we still have time to pass meaningful reforms. We’ve seen huge legislation pushed through in a matter of hours, so there’s no excuse why we can’t approve sweeping ethics reforms prior to our May 19 adjournment.

“Government should be transparent. That means that major pieces of legislation should be developed and debated in the public eye rather than behind the scenes and in back rooms. By focusing on transparency, special interest groups and the politically connected cannot woo legislators into voting in favor of their legislative priorities.”

* Rep. Weber…

Following the announcement of the verdict in the “ComEd Four” trial, State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) issued the following response:

“Today’s verdict in the ‘ComEd Four’ trial is a small victory for the people of Illinois, but it can’t stop here,” said Weber. “Hardly anything has changed to Illinois’ weak ethics laws since Mike Madigan left office, and we must act to stop this self-serving culture. This trial exposed the mobster mentality of self-dealing, pay-to-play politics, and it will happen again unless Democrats join us in passing the strict laws we need to hold politicians and lobbyists accountable to the people.”

* Rep. Ozinga…

Following the conclusion of the ComEd trial, State Representative Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena) released the following statement:

“This trial gave the public a look at the rampant corruption that plagues our state government, yet nothing in Springfield has changed to prevent this unethical behavior in the future”, stated Rep. Ozinga. “Numerous bills have been introduced to fix the problems that our state is facing, yet a majority of them never even made it to a vote on the House floor.

“It’s time for the politicians to begin holding themselves accountable for the years of corrupt and unethical behavior. Our state has many problems, but we will never be able to fix them until we pass serious and comprehensive ethical reform.”

* Rep. Fritts…

Following the conclusion of the ComEd trial, State Representative Bradley Fritts (R-Dixon) released the following statement:

“This trial is just one example of the disappointing and corrupt behavior that has plagued our state government for years,” said Rep. Fritts. “This is why I filed House Bill 2964, which would have placed term limits on leadership positions in the General Assembly. Unfortunately, this bill never moved past the Rules Committee. As members of the General Assembly, it is our responsibility to work together and finally pass some serious reform to prevent his corruption from continuing.

“To the people of District 74, I can promise that I will continue to act ethically in the Illinois General Assembly. As a representative of our community, it is my duty to uphold strong moral values, and to urge others to do the same.”

* Rep. Jed Davis…

Following the conclusion of the ComEd trial, State Representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) released the following statement:

“The ComEd Trial is just a small portion of the deep-rooted corruption in our state’s Democratic Party,” said Rep. Davis. “For years, the taxpayers of Illinois have seen indictment after indictment, with virtually zero ethical reform passed in the General Assembly.

“Enough is enough. It’s clear that Illinois Democrats are unable to police themselves. Now is the time for us to get serious about fixing corruption by working to pass a series of much-needed bills to end the shameful, unethical policies of the Madigan era.”

* Rep. Niemerg…

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich) is issuing the following statement on the guilty verdict of the ‘ComEd Four.’

“These convictions are certainly well-deserved, and when former House Speaker Michael Madigan is found guilty, we can close this chapter of corruption in Illinois. But we need to bring a permanent end to the culture of corruption that has become far too commonplace in Illinois. These convictions should not be the end of this story. If we want to close the book on corruption in Illinois, then we need to enact meaningful laws that will systematically end the pay-to-play politics culture in our state. If we do nothing, we are merely setting up a future ComEd Four scenario just with different people and different special interests. If we don’t take action and root out corruption in Illinois, these convictions will be for naught.”

* Rep. Ugaste…

In response to the conclusion of the infamous “ComEd Four” trial, State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) released the following statement:

“I have called the federal investigation of Mike Madigan a disgrace to our chamber and yesterday’s actions indict the culture of corruption that thrived under his inner circle. The public has now seen how influence was peddled for personal gain and self-dealing under Democrat supermajority control. Given the evidence at trial, is it any wonder the Republicans have spent so much of the last 15 years in the superminority.

“It’s obvious the Democrats will not police themselves and the taxpayers of Illinois cannot wait for comprehensive ethics reform any longer. Democrats need to get serious, work with Republicans on the ethics reform for which we have advocated for many years, restore the broken trust with the residents of Illinois and allow Illinoisans to fairly pick who represents them in Springfield after these shameful abuses of power.”

* Rep. Haas…

Following the conclusion of the “ComEd Four” trial, House Assistant Minority Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) released this statement:

“Today’s court actions indict the culture of corruption that was allowed to thrive under Speaker Madigan’s inner circle. Illinoisans should be furious, and nothing has changed in Springfield to prevent this kind of behavior. We owe our constituents and taxpayers changes that create real accountability for these reprehensible actions; not actions like the Democrats’ so-called ethics reform bill that was so fundamentally flawed, the Legislative Inspector General resigned in protest.

“Unfortunately, though House Republicans introduced dozens of ethics and corruption reform bills, none have been addressed by supermajority Democrats. Democrats need to finally get serious about ethics reform in Illinois and do what’s right for the people of Illinois.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 9:59 am

Comments

There seem to be a lot of comments referencing continued corruption. I would hope that these people are reporting it. They must have evidence if they are going to say such things.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:05 am
We’ve made a lot of progress in just a couple of decades in cleaning up political corruption in our State. We need to continue on this path and not continue to excuse past corruption or on going political corruption as just being smart politics.

This isn’t a victimless crime. Our State has suffered from these self serving schemes and was so abused the body politic accepted this as just being a required component of government.

Illinois deserves better and I hope our leaders continue to deliver the improvement we deserve. If not, I hope the Feds continue to send these worthless cancers on our State government to prison.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:19 am
“The people of Illinois deserve better, and I will keep fighting for the serious reform we need.”
Rep Rosenthal - great to hear, and please don’t forget to target the Coal Industry wheeler dealers.

Comment by Red Ketcher Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:27 am
“We’ve made a lot of progress in just a couple of decades in cleaning up political corruption in our State.” That is by far the funniest thing I have read today. IL needs to go all in and just add “disgraced former” as a prefix to every elected official and lobbyist.

Comment by Poor Taxpayer Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:38 am
You know a competent GOP would be able to capitalize on this verdict and these trials. But as long as the GOP is mainly focused on serving only the interests of the East Block style permanently disgruntled set, it won’t be able to.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:44 am
What are these strong ethics bills Republicans have sponsored and what would they do? Also how would they have prevented what occured?

Comment by low level Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:45 am
==“This is my second stint serving in the Illinois General Assembly, and the mob-like culture of corruption that Mike Madigan allowed to spread has been little changed,” said Rosenthal.==

This is really rich coming from a guy in Bruce “We’ll hurt you and your family” Rauner’s cabinet.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:49 am
“allow Illinoisans to fairly pick who represents them in Springfield”

I believe open primaries and ranked choice voting would be ways for Illinoisans to fairly pick who represents them in Springfield.

Comment by Steve Polite Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:51 am
Until fair maps is done nationally, “good try”.

Until any of these folks talk to the FBI about the rampant corruption they’ve seen, it’s lip service to any real truth.

Too much is boiler plate “aghast” and table pounding, but nice to read anyway.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:54 am
===That is by far the funniest thing I have read===

Have to give credit where credit is due. People don’t seem to have to be making a 5 figure payment to be promoted at DOC or buying tickets to fundraisers to get a state job.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 10:55 am
This trial was a big win for the feds. The jury accepted the definition of corruption that was being put forth. Whether this encourages others to plead guilty or come forward is the next item on the menu. The tapes played in court really were effective.

Comment by Steve Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:21 am
The thing about laws is they need to be followed to be effective. The ComEd 4 broke the law. I’m not against ethics reform, but I can’t think of a law that could have prevented this activity as the parties have clearly shown they chose to break the law. I think the only viable deterrent is harsher penalties for these crimes–that would need to be done by Congress. I hope Judge Leinenweber the book at the ComEd 4, to deter similar activities. I hope the Defendants are not successful on appeal.

Comment by James Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:31 am
Asking for a friend, should he/she reconsider their retirement plan as a ghost payroll lobbyist in the future? Or is this just a temporary bump in the road?

Comment by CLJ Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:33 am
Here is a layup reform which I promise it won’t see the light of day. Make if a felony for any public official to request the hiring by any private or public employer of anyone where the hiring isn’t publicly disclosed as is the individual making the request

Comment by Sue Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:35 am
What a person does and how they behave when they think no one is watching reveals character. These people thought no one would find out, and there is evidence that they sought to keep this stuff hidden. I think the jury was correct to find corrupt intent.

It’s not quite like defining obscenity, but the tapes in the ComEd Four trial and McClain’s e-mail archive were devastating to the defense. And the fact that the jury was barred from learning that ComEd felt it did enough wrong to pay a $200 million fine tells me that this was a conspiracy to curry favor from Madigan for the purpose of advancing ComEd’s legislative agenda.

What happened here is not normal lobbying or politics. If it was, then there would be no need to hide it.

I’m sorry to say this, because I’m acquainted with more than one of the defendants, but the jury got this right.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:38 am
Fidel Marquez made a smart choice.
The Com Ed 4 did not.
Now Madigan is looking at a trial where all the people who once helped him hold power will testify against him to spare themselves indictment and jail time.

Comment by Shy Don Freud Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 11:52 am
We’ve made a lot of progress in just a couple of decades in cleaning up political corruption in our State.

Excuse me? Even the events at trial were said to have taken place recently, so your reforms did nothing to effect that. Furthermore it continues with the after effects of them speakers actions….did your utility bill go down after com ed pmead guilty?

Comment by Nighthawk Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 12:25 pm
I propose we exchange “Because Madigan … “ with “Because Democrats …”
It seemed too unfair to limit to one man.

Comment by Lurker Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:19 pm
If what the Com Ed 4 did, and by extension Madigan did, was illegal then are the favors and financial benefit given to Justices Thomas and Gorsuch illegal too?

Comment by Not New Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:19 pm
47-

Not to split hairs but not sure what corrupt intent means. Campaign donations you could argue very often have corrupt intent. Is that illegal? Should it? Perhaps. Perhaps not. The whole problem with all of this is that it is subject to a lot of things that have nothing to do with the letter of the law most often the whims of federal prosecutors. Or in this case their obsession.

Comment by Not New Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:33 pm
The giant 80000-pound truck-cranes continue to be allowed to drive on Illinois roads without buying truck license plates like every other truck has to do. They obviously have good lobbyists.

Comment by DuPage Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:34 pm
Im still waiting for a Republican to tell me which of their ethics bills would have prevented the ComEd. I guess the answer is none of them would have.

Comment by low level Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:36 pm
No new ethics laws would have prevented this crime. And it went on for 9 long years; so many Legislators empowered Madigan during this period. Observations: By testifying falsely, two defendants lost a bargaining chip of flipping to reduce sentence. And remember, in the US 7th Circuit a defendant starts serving the sentence while the appeal is pending - no automatic stays pending appeal as is common in state court. The appeal is going nowhere - Leinenweber gave the 7th Circuit definition of bribery to the jury and there were no reversible error committed. Lastly, most of the “experts” that the Chicago TV stations presented after the verdict were just awful and got much wrong about the case. (And where were the States’ Attorneys and the AG during all this corruption? This prosecution was way over their heads).

Comment by Itsthelaw Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:42 pm
Illinois is now clean as a whistle…carry on.

Comment by Dotnonymous Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:49 pm
===The whole problem with all of this is that it is subject to a lot of things that have nothing to do with the letter of the law most often the whims of federal prosecutors.===

I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it.

ComEd was a financially failing operation by the time of the massive downtown blackout of the early 2000s. Beginning with Frank Clark, and continuing and expanding under Anne Prammagiore, ComEd won two major legislative packages that allowed it to become profitable (and then some) a decade later.

Campaign donations are limited and require disclosure. ComEd’s generosity to Madigan appeared unlimited and was kept hidden. There are differences if you care to see them between what ComEd did and what normal lobbying and good-will efforts.

The jury saw it clearly. I think most of the lobbyists I know, myself included, understand what corrupt intent is and where the lines are. Here’s a tip: if you’re hiding things and speaking in code, you might find yourself in need of a criminal attorney.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 1:53 pm
===And where were the States’ Attorneys and the AG during all this corruption? ===

State bribery statute prohibits people from soliciting things that they are prohibited from receiving in exchange for action. So, cash, large gifts, etc.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 2:01 pm
Thoughtful response as always 47. And I understand the differences. I’m just saying when the contribution limits are off or million dollar donations are given without disclosure through a C4 there also may be corrupt intent. And then an AUSA may decide it’s a crime if they want to get a target such as Madigan. It’s not a giant leap under their interpretation.

Comment by Not New Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 2:02 pm
“Since taking office, Gov. Pritzker has advanced the cause of ethics reform…”.
That’s a joke right?

Comment by Back to to the Future Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 2:12 pm
==Now Madigan is looking at a trial where all the people who once helped him hold power will testify against him==

Got that right. Moody and Cullen and whomever else have made smart decisions. Difficult ones but very wise for sure.

Comment by low level Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 2:38 pm
=== Campaign donations are limited and require disclosure ===

They aren’t limited if the caps are busted in a race.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 3:31 pm
=== Moody and Cullen and whomever else have made smart decisions. ===

Moody was going to tell the prosecutors whatever they wanted to hear so long as his rear end stayed out of prison. And whatever they had on him has to be more serious than getting paid to do little to no work.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 3:34 pm
Lurker: Are you that much of a crack pot?

I guess so.

And the GOP would have loved to do it so well, but just couldn’t get it together to pull it off.

Please bite me.

Comment by Loop Lady Wednesday, May 3, 23 @ 5:22 pm
Yes, they certainly are the gold standard to aspire to.

Comment by Robo Thursday, May 4, 23 @ 9:41 am