McHenry Times

The indictment of former state House Speaker Michael Madigan on federal corruption charges is "another step in the long process of cleaning up Illinois corruption," Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said in a news release.

In a statement issued by his office the same day the U.S. Department of Justice announced the 106-page 22-count indictment against Madigan, McConchie praised the work of federal investigators in the case. He also made reference to the state's previous corrupt public officials who got in trouble with federal investigators.

"Madigan's indictment is testament to the outstanding work of federal investigators, who have taken tremendous steps in the long process of rooting out public corruption in Illinois," McConchie said. "However, the people of Illinois shouldn't have to rely on the Feds to continuously clean up the state's mess."

The indictment "underscores the need to empower officials here in Illinois to investigate and prosecute misconduct and corruption of its own public officials," McConchie continued. "Senate Republicans, as they have for several years now, continue to advocate for the use of a statewide grand jury so we are no longer beholden to the federal government, and we can begin to restore the public’s trust within our own capacity."

In a separate Facebook post, McConchie thanked "the Feds for their tremendous work" and added, "this is another step in the long process of cleaning up Illinois corruption."

McConchie has represented the state's Senate District 26 since 2016, when he replaced then retiring Sen. Dan Duffy after defeating two candidates in that GOP primary and, in the General Election the following November, defeated Democratic challenger Kelly Mazeski, taking more than 59% of the vote. He was elected Senate Republican Leader in January of last year.

Illinois' Senate District 26 includes all or parts of Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein and Wauconda.

McConchie's comments came on the heals of Madigan's indictment, announced in a DOJ news release issued March 2, on charges of federal racketeering and bribery. Madigan is alleged to have used his position as House Speaker "to corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates," DOJ's news release said.

Madigan is accused "of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan's political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates," the news release said.

In addition to racketeering conspiracy, Madigan faces individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion.

The indictment was handed down by a special federal grand jury in Chicago.

The DOJ news release also noted that Madigan, during his decades as House speaker, also represented of Illinois' 22nd District, was a Chicago's 13th Ward committeeman, chaired both the Illinois Democrat Party and the 13th Ward's Democrat organization, and was a partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.

Meanwhile, questions about how Springfield lawmakers ought to address ethics issues continues. Illinois legislators passed their preferred "ethics reform" bill and Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it in October. The Legislative Inspector General at the time, Carol Pope, announced her resignation in response to the "ethics reform" bill. The Illinois Policy Institute called that bill "a little more ethical, but a lot more is needed."

That "ethics reform" bill was signed couple of months after Pope announced her resignation over the so-called "ethics reform" legislation. Pope said Democrats blocked an earlier ethics reform package she had requested in favor of what Pritzker ended up signing, legislation that none of her concerns.

Of course, Madigan is far from the first allegedly corrupt official to call Illinois home. That lengthy list includes former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached, convicted of multiple corruption charges and imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Englewood. Former President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich's sentence in February 2020.

There's also former governor and secretary of state George Ryan, who was convicted of racketeering and sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, and Dan Rostenkowski, U.S. Rep. of more than 35 years, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison time.