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The Tribune led the way on allegations that House Speaker Michael Madigan was corrupt and beat the drum over and over with the claim that employee bonuses he gave every year right after session ended weren’t a retention device but campaign related, so it’s only fitting to quote from their story:
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office said Tuesday that federal prosecutors in Springfield have ended investigations into allegations that the veteran Democrat misused state resources and abused his power for political purposes and no charges have been filed.Madigan, the Southwest Side lawmaker who also is the Democratic Party’s state chairman, released a copy of a letter he received last month from his attorney that said the U.S. attorney’s office for the central district of Illinois was “closing its investigation” of the speaker’s office.
Patrick Chesley, an assistant U.S. attorney, said he could not comment “one way or the other concerning that.” […]
“I am advised that there will be no charges stemming from any of these inquiries and that the investigation is closed,” said Madigan’s attorney, J. William Roberts, a former Republican federal prosecutor. […]
The allegations involving Madigan that were reviewed by prosecutors included questions surrounding House staff members who were dispatched to legislative districts during the 2000 campaign. Madigan aides said the staff members were merely bolstering the legislators’ abilities to provide constituent services, not providing political help to vulnerable candidates.
Madigan’s use of at least $142,000 in taxpayer funds to give bonuses to staff members, some of whom went on campaign payrolls, also came under the scrutiny of U.S. prosecutors. Madigan defended the bonuses as legitimate rewards for staffers working on legislative and government work and said they were not awarded as supplemental pay for political work.
Federal prosecutors in the spring of 2002 also subpoenaed Madigan’s office, Eastern Illinois University and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, seeking documents related to a labor dispute involving the school and its unionized steam plant workers.
It now turns out that most of the hype against Madigan in 2002 was merely a political device to make his daughter look bad in her 2002 campaign for attorney general. The Chicago US Attorney’s office was not involved with the probe begun in 2002, so he appears to be totally in the clear.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 1:40 pm
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Comment by Bo Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 3:49 pm
I caught wind of this as well. The timing couldn’t be better for the Speaker…he has certain swagger these days, as I noted in my blog earlier today. The guy is the ultimate player. The Governor would be wise to take a few tips from him instead of that silly, tattered and torn Clinton handbook Bradley keeps under his arm.
Comment by Bo Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 3:50 pm
I guess the next question is when will the US Atty clear LAD and JBT. Is the clearing of MJM a good sign for the two repubs?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 6:51 pm
I don’t think one necessarily has anything to do with the others. But I doubt that JBT is in much trouble, especially considering the source of the allegations against her.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 8:04 pm
Maybe it’s nothing more than the swagger of a new grandfather Bo noticed — our Attorney General did just give birth to a little girl….
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 19, 05 @ 10:54 pm
This is great timing for the Madigans. First you get your daughter to become elected and occupy an important state-wide office, then you hit the jackpot with a governor who does nothing else but open himself up for criticism due to his many transparent and self promoting attempts to spearhead any popular issue of the moment. All these observations have been clearly said in the press, his same party rank-an file members, the various state industries and on and on…. Now the Speaker wants to hold year-long (embarrassing to the gob.) legislative hearings on the budget. The young Madigan will investigate the pro quo governor appointments. Are all these coincidences or simple chess moves to position the current AG as head candidate on the upcoming democratic gubernatorial primaries?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 20, 05 @ 7:44 am