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* I asked below whether anything else was going on out there in Politics Land. Well, yes, there is something else going on out there. I missed Hinz’s post…
…the national Republican Party is up to something at City Hall, where it has formally asked dozens of city departments to turn over copies of any communication they’ve had with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and her father, Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan.
The party’s National Republican Senatorial Committee last month sent identical Freedom of Information requests to 27 city departments, including law, the inspector general’s office, the O’Hare Modernization Program and the police review board.
The letters, signed by Sean Cairncross, the committee’s chief counsel, ask for copies of any documents, written or electronic, of “correspondence to or from” either one of the Madigans.
For the attorney general, the period covered stretches back to January 2003, when she took office. For Mr. Madigan, the panel wants records stretching back decades, to January of 1971.
A couple of state agencies have also received the requests. And I think there are more FOIAs out there. I seem to recall something said to me a couple of weeks ago that got lost in the end of session shuffle.
Whatever the case, that’s one heck of a fishing expedition. And it’s a very strong indication that the Republicans intend to make Speaker Madigan the top issue in next year’s campaign regardless of what the attorney general runs for.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:36 am
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But if the NRSC is funding the FOIA requests and (presumably) funding the research but she runs for gov and not Senate … can the NRSC share the info with IL-GOP.
This is where election law gets fuzzy, in my opinion.
Comment by Rob_N Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:39 am
This could backfire horribly. If they fail to find anything substantive then LMad can push the point about how they combed through all this stuff only to come up clean.
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:42 am
PS - “And it’s a very strong indication that the Republicans intend to make Speaker Madigan the top issue in next year’s campaign regardless of what the attorney general runs for.”
Could this be why he sat on his hands this session?
Keep his own name quiet while simultaneously forcing H-GOP/Cross to share in whatever pain the final result induces (cuts, taxes, both)…
Adding: 1971? Jeebus. Wouldn’t a bunch of that stuff have already been shredded (legally)?
Comment by Rob_N Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:42 am
More great strategy from the GOP. Voters who lost or are about to lose their jobs are really concerned about city politics in the early 70’s. Great job guys.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:54 am
===can the NRSC share the info with IL-GOP.===
Sure they can. If there is some tiny law about it, they can just post the whole thing online.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 12:07 pm
Sigh. That’s quite a wide net. And, of course, two can play at that game. Any GOPers want to cop to correspondence they had with Blago?
How about we take care of the business first, then go full-bore into the politics?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 12:08 pm
Wordslinger: I guess staying on task isn’t their favorite aspect of public service…
Comment by Anonymous45 Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:17 pm
Of course they can share the information with the state GOP. If anything is turned over subject to a FOIA request it is, by definition, public record. Even if they incur the copy costs, I believe they can chalk it up to “dissemination of public information” per the statute.
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:31 pm
Correspondence dating from 1971? Right. Good luck with that one, GOP bozos. Could Du Page county find all correspondence from Pate dating from 1970? If not, then they should go away. As someone else said, I am sure the voters care about this. Hahahahahahaha. This is why the GOP is in the minority and will be for the next many years.
Comment by this old hack Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:33 pm
Good luck to the GOP. 1971? Chicago’s City Council records are incomplete before 1989. Barack Obama claims his Illinois State Senate records are “missing” that’s why the media couldn’t get to them( not that they wanted to hurt him). Illinois is a Blue state, the voters in Madigan’s district and most of the state don’t care about term limits or checks and balances or nepotism. Mike Madigan probably is getting a good laugh out of this.
Comment by Steve Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:50 pm
In case you forgot, the madigans work for us, not the career aspirations of lisa madigan. We pay their salaries, we pay the taxes they want to raise, and we pay while they don’t pass budgets or create a sound economy. I realize some chicago democrats think this is a monarchy and that they are not to be questioned or challenged, but that’s not quite how it works.
Also at a time when democrats in d.c. want to comb through the past administration that is now OUT of office, it’s hypocritical to fight the GOP’s ability here to ask questions about a failing government that is IN office.
Comment by Shore Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:10 pm
actually, i don’t (personally) know of any democrats who aren’t scared by the consolidation of power in the hands of one family. sure, illinois has a long history of mobsters, but there’s no reason that our government should act like them…
Comment by bored now Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:13 pm
Shore, calm down. I don’t think anyone said what you said they said.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:13 pm
GOP on the right track… With Blago gone, the attention needs to shift towards Madigan.
Comment by Taxman Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:15 pm
Speaker’s name will show up on patronage related documents most likely, probably a lot of those would be pre-court ordered restrictions.
I would be shocked to see the Attorney General have her signature on anything but relevant and official business.
It is a big net, too bad for the GOP that the new FOIA law isn’t on the books yet - that request may take 12-18 months to be answered . . .
Comment by siriusly Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:23 pm
Although I doubt there’s much there except constituent-related matters, I would still imagine–the way bureaucracy moves–that those documents will show up at NRSC headquarters about Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010.
Comment by Narcoleptic Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:27 pm
you know with SB 189 it makes it possible for the AG to stop investigation into FOIA requests immediately. (at least how i read it.)
Comment by anon 58 Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:32 pm
Anon 58: You need to read it again.
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:36 pm
The Public Access Counselor only becomes involved upon a written complaint being issued.
Besides, any action taken regarding FOIA by either the AG or the PAC would be subject to judicial review.
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:44 pm
Maybe they are wondering why Lisa did not investigate daddy using state workers to help Dem campaigns during previous elections.
Comment by FED up Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:52 pm
Probably they are just trying to figure out the “ins and outs” of how to govern. Sort of a how-to manual or maybe Politics and Governing for Dummies?
Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:45 pm
“This is why the GOP is in the minority and will be for the next many years. (This old Hack)”
Arrogance is a dangerous place to be in politics.
Comment by nick Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:46 pm
any communication they’ve had with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and her father, Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan….The letters, signed by Sean Cairncross, the committee’s chief counsel, ask for copies of any documents, written or electronic, of “correspondence to or from” either one of the Madigans.
LOL. The copies of the e-mails from Mike Madigan are under the Holy Grail next to the unicorn.
On a more serious note, I hate to think how many taxpayer man hours are going to be wasted on this fishing trip, but what, honestly, do they expect to find?
If anything, this shows just how scared Republicans are and how deep they’re going to have to dig to find anything — anything — to slow down the Madigan Express.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:53 pm
I can’t help but wonder how much this fishing campaign will cost the taxpayers.
Nick is right about arrogance. Dear old Mom used to tell us that arrogance comes before the fall and thus far in my life that has been true. So MJM and others should really take a look at their actions…
Comment by make it so Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 4:20 pm
make it so - my experience shows me that MJM is way ahead of you
Comment by siriusly Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 4:30 pm
You can spin a good tv ad out of a denied foia request.
Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 4:36 pm
FED Up asks, “Maybe they are wondering why Lisa did not investigate daddy using state workers to help Dem campaigns during previous elections.”
I’m the last person to defend the Madigans but unless you actually have evidence you’re just dealing in rumors and innuendo. Leave that to Star Magazine.
In other words, grow up. The same malarkey could just as easily be asked of Jim Ryan and Gov. Ryan or Chairman Schillerstrom, etc.
Comment by Rob_N Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 4:40 pm
If the FOIA request is denied, expect LMM to enforce it. It will be interesting to see how the GOP will try to spin that.
Comment by Ann O'Namus Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 6:50 pm
Southern Illinois Republicans have “run against” Mike Madigan for years…to no avail. As a Republican, I would prefer to actuallu hear a plan to improve the economy, grow jobs and improve education. If Obama and Newt Gingrich taught us anything, its that people are hungry for real solutions and will support ideas.
Comment by 4 percent Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 9:37 pm
The GOP is reduced to just grasping at straws. No plans, no message, no leaders. Pretty sad.
Comment by just sayin Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 12:11 am
As Icarus flew too close to the sun, so has Mike Madigan with the wings of his daughter.
Comment by philippe Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 7:04 pm