State House Speaker Mike Madigan’s dealing with ComEd will now be investigated by a special bipartisan legislative panel Republicans called for to determine if the powerful lawmaker did anything wrong – a rare move that has only happened twice before in the past two decades.
Madigan immediately recused himself from the process, but not before denouncing the maneuver as a “political stunt” by Republicans seeking to create a “political circus.”
Three Republicans invoked the state constitutional measure after a deferred prosecution agreement for the utility company revealed what they deemed “a pattern of concerning behavior” in the speaker’s office.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Reprentatives Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, and Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, filed the petition to create the committee, which will be comprised of three Republicans and three Democrats.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office has been advised of the petition and the legislative process moving forward,” the Republicans said in a statement. “It is Leader Durkin’s intention not to interfere in any way with the federal investigation.”
Members of the panel will decide if there was wrongdoing on Madigan’s end, and, if they conclude there was any, refer it to the House’s Select Committee on Discipline to decide on charges for the speaker, similar to proceedings in a jury trial.
Upon learning about the petition, Madigan recused himself, appointing House Majority Leader Greg Harris to “handle all aspects of this matter.” He also took a shot at the Republicans who called for the committee, calling it “a political stunt only months away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes.”
Madigan, 78, has not been charged with any crime, but in July, an explosive federal court filing implicated him in an alleged bribery scheme in which ComEd is accused of sending $1.3 million to Madigan’s associates for doing little or no work for the utility. Madigan has denied wrongdoing, and he did so again on Wednesday.
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“As I have stated previously, I have never made a legislative decision with improper motives,” Madigan said in a statement.
And the powerful Southwest Side Democrat, who has been a statehouse speaker for longer than anyone else in U.S. history, said his GOP counterpart was motivated by politics.
“I can’t identify one thing Rep. Durkin and the Illinois Republican Party have done to help Illinois residents struggling from a global pandemic and a weakened economy,” Madigan said. “Rather than focusing on ways to get us out of Donald Trump’s mess, Republicans have spent their time and dollars trying to convince people I am to blame for the type of corruption and unethical conduct Donald Trump emulates every day.”
Madigan went on to say that the “notion that the passage of two consequential pieces of energy legislation was tied to the hiring or retention of a few individuals is seriously mistaken.”
“Like their president, the House Republicans know how to create a political circus, but time and again fail to show up when it’s time to govern,” he said.
Harris appointed Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Westchester, to chair the new committee, and Representatives Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, and Natalie Manley, D-Romeoville, to serve on it. They’ll serve alongside Republican Representatives Tom Demmer of Dixon, Deanne Mazzochi of Westmont and Grant Wehrli, whose district includes Naperville.
The move is a rare one — in the past two decades, it has been invoked on two occasions, following the arrest and indictment of former Representatives Derrick Smith and Luis Arroyo.
“The Illinois Constitution gives members of the House the authority to review the actions of its members and determine whether discipline is necessary, including overturning the results of an election or expelling a member,” Harris said in a statement.
Welch said the Republican trio filed their petition over the weekend and he was asked to chair the committee Tuesday. He doesn’t anticipate any action in the committee before next week, but the group is “organizing as quickly as possible.”
Madigan was implicated in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement — the company was charged with bribery in July and is expected to pay a $200 million fine — believed to be the largest criminal fine ever in Chicago’s federal court.
