How some lawmakers reacted to Michael Madigan's indictment on fraud, bribery charges

Reaction to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's federal indictment on wire fraud, racketeering and bribery charges Wednesday included Democrat and Republican lawmakers. Here's what some had to say.

Illinois House Speaker Democrat Emmanuel "Chris" Welch

“As chair of the Special Investigating Committee, I made it clear that this matter needed to be handled in a court of law, completely separate from the legislature. As is evident by this federal indictment, the full weight of the justice system was needed to ensure all charges are investigated properly and thoroughly. At my direction, the Office of the Speaker has fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so.”

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs

"This is another chapter in the sad story of corruption that has pervaded every corner of the state that was touched by Mike Madigan and his Democrat enablers and has dismantled true democracy in Illinois."

Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Rep. Robin Kelly

“For the past year, I have been honored to lead our party as the first person of color and the first woman to chair the Democratic Party of Illinois. The DPI is committed to building a party that is more transparent, more diverse, and more inclusive in everything we do. Today’s announcement is a stark reminder that elected leaders must hold themselves to the highest ethical standards. We will observe the legal process as it unfolds, but there can be no tolerance of anyone guilty of violating the public trust. While he stepped down as party chair more than a year ago, Michael J. Madigan remains a State Central Committeeman from the 3rd Congressional District. He should resign from that position as well.

"Since I became chair a year ago, our focus has been on electing Democrats up and down the ticket across Illinois and continuing to fight for the things all Democrats believe in, including raising wages, lowering costs, defending reproductive choice, protecting the environment, investing in our infrastructure, providing high-quality education for all, and more. We will not let actions of the past distract us from our mission in 2022 and beyond.”

More: Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan charged with racketeering, bribery

Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy

“For many years, Illinois Democrats across the state – from Governor JB Pritzker on down – supported, enabled, and kissed the ring of Mike Madigan as he built a corrupt state government that served to enrich his allies and special interests while Illinois crumbled. Illinois is a diminished state and a laughing stock for the rest of the nation because Mike Madigan cared more about holding on to power than serving the interests of its citizens - and because elected Democrats across the state-supported him.

The Illinois Republican Party is committed to exposing and defeating every last Democrat still around that accepted Madigan’s money, voted Madigan’s way, or defended him as the leader of their party. The list of those needing to be held accountable for what happened is long, and it starts with Governor JB Pritzker.”

Senate President Don Harmon, (D-Oak Park)

“These are obviously disturbing allegations. I have confidence in our system of justice. Like everyone else, I will be watching to see how this unfolds.”

Rep. Tim Butler, (R-Springfield)

“The corruption surrounding Madigan has been obvious for years. He did everything in his power to stonewall the Special Investigating Committee when he realized his abuse of power would be exposed. The only question left is for every member of the Democratic caucus who supported him over the years to explain what they knew about it and why they kept supporting him.”

Sen. Sally Turner, (R-Beason)

“Today’s indictment of former Speaker Madigan comes as no surprise to far too many people. Once again, the ethics laws of our state have failed the people of Illinois and has forced the federal government to step in to clean up Illinois’ corruption.

“It is time for the lawmakers of this state to take ethics seriously and to pass real reforms that will help keep corrupt public officials accountable for the illegal actions.”

Rep. Chris Bos, (R-Lake Zurich)

“Today’s indictment of Mike Madigan has been a long time coming,” said Bos. “Never should someone so obviously engaged in public corruption have been able to stay in office for so long and abuse the taxpayers of our state for personal gain. I only hope this convinces Democrats in the General Assembly to join Republicans in passing long-overdue ethics reform, not more meaningless window dressing.”

Rep. Kelly Cassidy, (D-Chicago)

“For many years, questions of Speaker Madigan’s involvement in corruption have hung over the work of our chamber and our party. This news comes as we are trying to complete our work in the House on a compressed schedule and I can’t imagine what it would be like to try to do that if he was still the Speaker. This is a sad day, a reminder of a terrible abuse of power that undermined our constituent’s faith in our government. The former Speaker will have his day in court, and the people of the state of Illinois will have an opportunity to learn the full extent of his actions and determine his fate.

“When I first began to speak out, I faced harsh criticism from friends and colleagues alike. Over time, as the steady drip of subpoenas and indictments grew closer and closer to the former Speaker, the ranks of members unwilling to continue to pretend everything was fine grew until 19 members refused to be bullied into voting for him to continue in his role. The actions of the group that came to be known as ‘The 19’ resulted in historic change in our chamber and our party. These members reflect the best of public service and I will forever be thankful to them for taking that brave stance.”

Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, (R-Jacksonville)

“Mike Madigan and his corrupt Chicago Machine have finally been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for bribery, extortion, racketeering and public corruption. Madigan and his associates created a criminal enterprise, at the expense of the Illinois citizens and good public policy. They used their power in the legislature to benefit themselves.

Sadly, I have sincere concerns that this corruption continues. There are many concerns that politicians are now picking the lobbyists they will work with, in order to get their buddies lobbying contracts. Remember, it was Speaker Welch who chaired the House Special Investigation Committee to investigate Madigan and it is he who found no fault. That committee purposely swept ethics concerns under the rug, and now the federal government is dealing with the fallout.

It's past time for the Illinois General Assembly to pass real ethics reform to give the Legislative Inspector General the tools needed to root out the corruption at its core.

Illinoisans are tired of Democrats' corruption. Illinoisans are hurting. They want safe neighborhoods, good schools, lower taxes and good infrastructure.

It is time to let the Courts decide what happens to Madigan and his criminal enterprise and it is time for the General Assembly to get to work helping the people who voted them into office.

State Reps. Jonathan Carroll, Kelly Cassidy, Deb Conroy, Terra Costa Howard, Margaret Croke, Eva Dina Delgado, Daniel Didech, Robyn Gabel, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Will Guzzardi, Stephanie Kifowit, Lindsey LaPointe, Anna Moeller, Bob Morgan, Anne Stava-Murray, Maurice West, Ann Williams, Kathy Willis, Sam Yingling

“Thirteen months ago, we 19 Democrats made clear to our colleagues that we would not support Michael Madigan for speaker. We knew that our chamber, our state, and our party deserved better leadership and the unfolding corruption scandal would only continue to erode public confidence.

“This is a watershed moment for our state that reminds us of the work ahead as the former speaker’s case makes its way through the legal system. We remain grateful to the people who joined us in bringing historic change to our party and our chamber.

“The possibility that this day was coming and would distract us from our work on behalf of the people we serve was top of mind for many of us as we took this position, even as we faced intense pressure to maintain the status quo.

“Our stance eventually led to the historic election of our state’s first Black speaker, who has led our caucus through the process of passing transformative legislation on clean energy, affordable housing, and a truly balanced budget. We are committed to continuing the work of restoring our constituents’ faith in Illinois government.”

Rep. Ann Williams, (D-Chicago)

In a far-reaching and expansive indictment, today former Speaker Michael Madigan has been indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, bribery and extortion.

In the fall of 2020, I joined 18 of my colleagues in calling on former Speaker Madigan to step down when it became clear he could no longer effectively lead our caucus in light of the unfolding corruption scandal. When he refused to step aside, I ran for Speaker against Mike Madigan - which ultimately served as a catalyst for change and ushered in new leadership for the first time in decades.

I did this despite strong pushback from colleagues and powerful entrenched interests. It was personally and professionally challenging but needed to happen to protect our Democratic values and the integrity of the Illinois House.

Accountability and integrity should be at the foundation of public service. Unfortunately, this was lost in the pursuit of personal gain and political power. Collaboration and inclusion took a back seat to a culture of cronyism and control.

Although the Illinois General Assembly has accomplished much for the people of the State of Illinois in recent years, the continued corruption scandal put our accomplishments in jeopardy and threatened to thwart continued progress.

The advancement of the priorities and policy goals which reflect Democratic values is why we serve - and must always remain at the forefront.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Michael Madigan indictment: How some Illinois lawmakers reacted