Lake County Gazette

Amid new charges for former House Speaker Michael Madigan, Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said people must be empowered to take back their government from corruption.

"This morning's news comes as little surprise. This is exactly the environment that has been created by the Democratic machine in order to be able to do business in Springfield these days," McConchie posted on Facebook. "Businesses and lobbyists have been conditioned to think this is how you get a seat at the table here in Illinois. If you don't pay up, you don't have a shot. The silent bully is always watching in the back of the room and enough is enough. We must empower the people of Illinois again to take back their government from this corruption that continues to threaten our democracy."

AT&T Illinois has agreed to pay $23 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement in the investigation of Madigan's political operation, Yahoo reported. AT&T Illinois has admitted to attempting to influence Madigan to advance legislation in its interest by sending payments to one of his allies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will drop the charges against AT&T in two years since the company admitted guilt.

Madigan was indicted on March 2 on federal racketeering and bribery charges. According to a release from the Department of Justice, "The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan 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." Madigan is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion.

A recent report ranked Illinois the third most corrupt state in the country, according to WTTW. The report, which was co-authored by University of Illinois at Chicago professor and former 44th Ward Ald. Dick Simpson, draws on data from the U.S. Department of Justice. In the Northern District of Illinois, which covers Chicago and the northern third of the state, 22 public officials were convicted on corruption-related charges in 2020. That number is actually a decrease from 2019, when 26 Illinoisans were convicted of public corruption.