Governor Pritzker and many other top Democrats in Illinois were trying to distance themselves from Madigan after the indictments were unsealed.
“I have heard accusations over time, I have kept my distance and very importantly I really have believed and pushed legislation that we have got to root out these people in public office if they have committed acts of corruption.”
But Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin pointed out Democrats were still benefiting from Madigan’s support even after the Commonwealth Edison
investigation became public.
“This indictment is the most sweeping public corruption charge and case to hit Illinois in decades. The depth of this corruption that is alleged in the indictment is truly breathtaking. But this is not just an indictment against Michael Madigan, but also against the Democrat part of Illinois that he ran for decades.”
Durkin and other Republican leaders also noted how Democrats shutdown a house investigation of Madigan and then continued to vote for him as Speaker of the House while the investigation was underway.
The non-partisan Illinois Policy Institute called Madigan the single man most responsible for Illinois' debt crisis, record high taxes and lax ethics rules…all
of which stand as crushing burdens on the backs of families and businesses. They say he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law for any illegal action.
The Institute says today we should celebrate but real justice requires change beyond punishing the actions of one corrupt politician. They say it’s time to fix the corrupt, failed institutions that fueled Madigan’s unprecedented accumulation of power.
