Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) is still fuming over the way he believes the Special House committee hearings centered on House Speaker Mike Madigan ultimately devolved into the sideshow he feared they would.

“ComEd has openly admitted to bribery and seeking to influence Madigan, yet the House Democrats on the committee voted to end the inquiry after only allowing one witness to testify in the entire process,” Weber said. “This is exactly why people have so little trust in Illinois government.”

At the first committee meeting held in months, members of the six-person bipartisan panel spent most of their time arguing over process before arriving at a deadlocked vote that played out completely along party lines, leading to the hearings being abruptly ended. The state’s longest-tenured lawmaker, Madigan remains at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme where it’s alleged all the perks were steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation.

Through it all, Weber hasn’t been shy about expressing where he stands on Madigan.

“It has been obvious for months now that Mike Madigan is at the heart of the corruption scandal involving ComEd,” he added. “The latest indictments of four allies linked directly to him make it clear beyond any doubt about his involvement.”

Weber recently came out in strong support of a growing list of democratic lawmakers that have publicly vowed not to support Madigan in his reelection efforts as House Speaker. To date, the list has swelled to 19 lawmakers, leaving Madigan short of the 60 votes needed for another term.  

“The only way to restore any slight notion of trust in Illinois government is for Mike Madigan to go," Weber added.