Month: July 2019

Report finds Speaker Madigan lawyer hired to investigate sexual harassment allegations is the sister of two lobbyists who made payments to Kevin Quinn, the very Madigan operative accused of sexual harassment

“The Speaker needs to come clean in the #MeToo cover-up of his political organization. Madigan hired a politically connected lawyer to ‘investigate’ sexual harassment when that lawyer’s own family members were funneling money to his top operative who had been fired for sexual harassment. It’s clear Speaker Madigan does not take the mistreatment of women seriously, and he doesn’t intend to sincerely investigate and stop the #MeToo behavior in his political operation.”

Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Joe Hackler

Recently, it was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times that “Kelly Smith-Haley was retained by Madigan in February 2018 to ‘receive and investigate harassment allegations’ regarding the speaker’s political staff…” according to a letter from Speaker Madigan to House Democratic Caucus members and staffers. Smith-Haley is the sister of Bill and Mike Smith, both of whom are senior members of the lobbying firm, Cornerstone Government Affairs. 
 
It was reported by the Chicago Tribune and detailed in an ILGOP release that Cornerstone wrote two $1,000 checks to Kevin Quinn in January 2019. Cornerstone’s Vice President is Will Cousineau, Mike Madigan’s longest serving political director.
 
As if it wasn’t bad enough that Madigan’s friends and allies have been keeping Quinn on the team’s ghost payroll, the lawyer tasked with investigating Quinn’s sexual harassment is a close relative of individuals financially supporting him. It’s obvious that Madigan’s claim of wanting to change the culture of his boy’s club could not be more disingenuous. 
 

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Feds find evidence of $10,000 in payments from close Madigan allies to Kevin Quinn after he was dismissed from Madigan’s Political Operation for sexual harassment

“It’s hard to believe that Speaker Madigan had no knowledge of $10,000 worth of payments from his close allies to his disgraced former employee, Kevin Quinn after Madigan had dismissed Quinn for sexual harassment. Yes or no, did Speaker Madigan have any knowledge of these payments? Why were his close allies paying Quinn after his dismissal?”

Illinois Republican Party Spokesperson Joe Hackler

Yesterday, It was reported by the Chicago Tribune that Federal Investigators are “looking into $10,000 in payments from current and former ComEd lobbyists to an ousted political operative for House Speaker Michael Madigan…”
 
The ousted political operative is none other than Kevin Quinn, top Madigan lieutenant, and brother of 13th Ward Alderman Marty Quinn. Kevin Quinn was dismissed by Madigan after allegations of sexual harassment from a junior political staffer. 
 
Those ComEd lobbyists providing payment to Quinn? Well, they aren’t just any lobbyists – they’re also Madigan allies and former colleagues:

• John Bradley – Former Democratic 117th State Representative, Madigan Assistant Majority Leader
• Cornerstone Government Affairs – Firm employing Will Cousineau, self proclaimed “longest-serving political director to Madigan and Illinois House Democrats”
• Cullen Inc. – Firm owned by Tom Cullen, former Madigan Political Director
• Unnamed Businessman – Worked at Madigan’s property tax appeals law firm
• Mike McClain – Served with Madigan in the House, considered one of closest Madigan friends for decades

In review – a Madigan political staffer is fired for sexual harassment and instead of getting himself back on his feet and finding a new job, he is awarded with payments totalling $10,000 from former Madigan allies and friends. 
 
In a complicated web of corruption, which also has serious implications for how Madigan’s operation treats women, Speaker Madigan must speak to these payments and if he had knowledge of them.
 

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