Author: jnjhackler

Governor JB Pritzker today heads to Quincy and the Quad Cities in hopes of talking about anything other than the widening federal investigations into both Speaker Mike Madigan for bribery and the governor himself for property tax fraud.

Will today be the day he finally answers the tough questions?  Here are the top unanswered questions for Governor Pritzker to address:

1)    Will you comment on the latest report from the Chicago Sun-Times that you appointed the two top officials at the Illinois Tollway Authority based on the recommendation of former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker who is now embroiled in the Madigan bribery scandal?  Your spokesperson “singled out Hooker as a key voice behind the appointments.”  What is the nature of your relationship with John Hooker?

2)    Newspapers around the state continue to call on you to ask Speaker Madigan to resign.  You previously called on Democratic State Sen. Marty Sandoval to step down as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee before he was indicted.  Why are you changing your standard for Madigan and refusing to call on him to step down as both speaker and chairman of the Democratic Party?

3)    Yes or no – do you consider Mike Madigan to be a political ally?

4)    Are you concerned that the US Attorney in Chicago is now looking into property tax fraud allegations against you and that reportedly the inquiry is widening to multiple properties?

5)    If you will just continue to say that Madigan should resign if the allegations against him are true, would you agree that you should resign if the allegations against you are true?

6)    Can you name one allegation against Madigan described in the US Attorney’s court filing that you think is not true?

7)    Will you demand that Madigan return your campaign contributions from accounts that he controls?

8)    You appointed Carrie Zalewski to be the Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates ComEd.  Zalewski’s husband is a state representative close to Madigan and her father-in-law, a former Chicago alderman, is embroiled in the ComEd/Madigan bribery scandal.  Why did Carrie Zalewski fight in court to protect ComEd in litigation arising from the death of a cable line worker?  Doesn’t that raise red flags given her conflict of interest in the ongoing federal probe?  Are you covering up corruption here?

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In case you missed it this weekend…

The Chicago Tribune slammed Governor JB Pritzker for his refusal to demand House Speaker Michael Madigan step down as speaker and chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois:

But one unarguable time for an official to step down is when prosecutors offer credible evidence of corruption that devastates citizens’ trust in that official.

Yet instead of leveling consequences, the ruling Democrats continue to tolerate, enable and protect Madigan.

That’s peculiar. Rather than demanding that Madigan leave or be dethroned, Pritzker, Lightfoot, Preckwinkle and Democrats in the legislature are waiting for … what, exactly?

If they won’t insist that Madigan go until they know everything about his conduct, then they’re admitting that milking Madigan for campaign money and political muscle means more to them than living by the good-government platitudes they love to mouth.

And the Quad City Times also called on Illinois Democrats to demand Madigan’s resignation:

We think it’s time for Democratic lawmakers to stop dancing around Mike Madigan. They should demand that he resign.

Governor Pritzker will be in the Quad Cities later today.

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One week after the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois officially named House Speaker Michael Madigan as “Public Official A” in an ever-widening federal investigation, Governor J.B. Pritzker continues to shield Madigan from resigning his post as Speaker and as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

But while Pritzker has joined the Madigan defense team, experts tell the Associated Press that “prosecutors are coming for him” and “charges could come any day.”  Meanwhile, newspapers across Illinois continue to call for Madigan to step aside: 

• From the State Journal-Register: “Mr. Madigan, please step aside and let your colleagues lead the way to reform.”
• From the Chicago Tribune: “Madigan has held onto the speaker’s job for far too long. This should be the clincher. Step down, Mr. Speaker.”
• From the Daily Herald: “The suggestions of impropriety in those documents are so overwhelming that Michael J. Madigan, whether innocent or guilty of wrongdoing, cannot escape being a major distraction both to good government and to the hopes of the political party he leads.”
• From yesterday’s Effingham Daily News: “He hasn’t been charged with anything — yet. But Madigan’s effectiveness as a leader in the state can no longer exist in the wake of an agreement the feds reached last week with Commonwealth Edison.”

“Governor Pritzker has chosen the wrong side of history,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said.  “The people of Illinois will hold this governor accountable for standing in Madigan’s defense and actively covering up corruption.  People should see Mr. Pritzker for what he is: a political accessory after the fact to Mike Madigan’s crimes.  What else did we expect from a governor facing his own federal investigation for property tax fraud?”

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The Illinois Republican Party today called on Governor J.B. Pritzker to explain why he is unwilling to call for House Speaker Michael Madigan to step down from his positions as Speaker and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois when he was willing to call on State Sen. Martin Sandoval to resign his chairmanship of the Senate Transportation Committee under similar circumstances.

Last October, after the FBI raided Sandoval’s home and office in search of evidence of bribery and fraud, Governor Pritzker said: “While Sen. Sandoval is under investigation, it’s in the best interest of our state that he no longer serve as chairman of the Transportation Committee.  If he doesn’t step aside, he should be removed.”

But over the last few days, Pritzker has refused to apply the same standard to Madigan.  Instead, Pritzker says Madigan should only resign if the allegations against him are true — whatever that means.

“Pritzker’s double standard when it comes to Mike Madigan’s resignation raises all kinds of red flags,” Chairman Tim Schneider said.  “What does Madigan have on Pritzker that would compel the Governor to change his standard for resignation in just nine months?”

Pritzker now faces several unanswered questions:

1)    Why did you call on Marty Sandoval to resign his chairmanship before an actual indictment but won’t call on Madigan to resign his speakership and chairmanship of the Democratic Party?

2)    Will you acknowledge that Michael Madigan is “Public Official A” in the US Attorney’s court filings?

3)    Rod Blagojevich was also “Public Official A” and you supported Blagojevich at that time (in fact, you even called Blagojevich to discuss the US Senate appointment).  Clearly, you made a big mistake with Blagojevich.  Aren’t you making the same mistake all over again – only this time betting your governorship on the newest “Public Official A”?

4)    Which allegations against “Public Official A” described in the US Attorney’s court filing do you think are not true?

5)    Will you demand that Madigan return your campaign contributions?  Do you have concerns that Madigan is using tainted campaign funds for his legal defense?

6)    Why did Carrie Zalewski fight in court to protect ComEd in litigation arising from the death of a cable line worker?  Doesn’t that raise red flags given her conflict of interest in the ongoing federal probe?

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Yesterday, the Champaign News Gazette’s Jim Dey reminded us that Madigan is now “Public Official A” – the same title previously assigned to former Governor Rod Blagojevich – and that is “all bad.” 

Republican state legislators, meanwhile, called for Madigan to resign and for Pritzker to issue a call to special session to address the ethics cloud hanging over Illinois.

But Governor JB Pritzker?  He’s made it clear to the people of Illinois: he’s all-in for Mike Madigan until the very end.  Like Thelma and Louise, Pritzker is holding on tight to a man he still considers a political ally.

Let’s review the state of play:

• Pritzker Blocking and Tackling Calls for Madigan to Resign: Despite calls from members of his own party for Madigan to step down now, Pritzker contends the accusations against Madigan are “just implied” and that Madigan does not need to resign from any leadership post.

• Pritzker Protecting Madigan Clout Hires: Pritzker has not addressed the Madigan clout list hires he placed throughout his administration, including the most controversial appointment of all: Carrie Zalewski, the daughter-in-law of a close Madigan ally targeted by the federal investigation to regulate ComEd.  Pritzker has also not addressed yesterday’s Chicago Tribune report that his Madigan appointee to the ICC spent months in court trying to shield ComEd from a probe into the death of a cable line worker.  Pritzker refuses to fire Zalewski in the wake of the federal investigation.

•  Pritzker Hasn’t Asked for His Money Back from Madigan: Pritzker transferred millions of dollars to campaign funds controlled by Madigan even after his 2018 victory.  Pritzker has not addressed whether that money should be returned and whether he believes those funds are indirectly subsidizing Madigan’s legal defense efforts (which newspapers report are funded by Madigan’s campaign).

• Pritzker Dodges Questions on His Own Federal Investigation: Pritzker continues to downplay the significance of news reports that the US Attorney’s Office is widening its probe of Pritzker’s own potentially fraudulent property tax schemes.

Here are a few questions we’d love to see Pritzker address:

1)    Will you acknowledge that Michael Madigan is “Public Official A” in the US Attorney’s court filings?

2)    Rod Blagojevich was also “Public Official A” and you supported Blagojevich at that time (in fact, you even called Blagojevich to discuss the US Senate appointment).  Clearly, you made a big mistake with Blagojevich.  Aren’t you making the same mistake all over again – only this time betting your governorship on the newest “Public Official A”?

3)    Which allegations against “Public Official A” described in the US Attorney’s court filing do you think are not true?

4)    Will you demand that Madigan return your campaign contributions?  Do you have concerns that Madigan is using tainted campaign funds for his legal defense?

5)    Why did Carrie Zalewski fight in court to protect ComEd in litigation arising from the death of a cable line worker?  Doesn’t that raise red flags given her conflict of interest in the ongoing federal probe?

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Now more than ever, Illinois Republicans believe it is time to address the crisis of public trust created by deep rooted Democrat corruption that seemingly produces a new story of malfeasance on a weekly basis. 

Yesterday, members of the House GOP held a virtual press conference to demand immediate action. 

“Illinois Republicans say Madigan should resign after Commonwealth Edison last week admitted to bribing the speaker through hiring lobbyists and staff he recommended.  Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Members of the Illinois House GOP say that scandal is reason enough for Governor J.B. Pritzker to bring lawmakers back for a special session dealing with ethics legislation.“

Republicans don’t just want to oust the Speaker, they want real change. 

“The Republicans suggest a ban on lawmakers becoming lobbyists and using political funds for criminal defense. But they deeply want a change in leadership.

“Speaker Madigan has spent decades creating his Springfield machine. So Madigan must go. That much is clear. But it does the people of Illinois no good if his crony culture stays. Otherwise, another insider is just going to take the reins and the corruption cycle is going to start all over again. This is an area where Governor Pritzker certainly could have been leading, it’s unfortunate that he didn’t, but I’m ultimately here because I want good governance.”

“I want real change. I want a culture of public servants who again are choosing people over power, who choose the people of Illinois over a political machine who do what’s best for Illinois instead of what’s best for the insider political class,” said Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Naperville).“

The response from Pritzker?  “Requests for comments from the Speaker and Governor’s offices were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.”

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During a stop in Peoria yesterday in what’s becoming a statewide “Madigan Defense Tour,” Governor JB Pritzker was asked if he still considers Speaker Michael Madigan a political ally.

Pritzker refused to answer.  Instead, he seemed to defend Madigan by calling “some” accusations against Madigan “just implied.”

Just implied?  What part of naming Mike Madigan as “Public Official A” in a years-long bribery scandal was “just implied?”  Maybe Pritzker should read this overview of accusations described by WBEZ yesterday:

• Does Juan Ochoa, Madigan’s former ComEd board members, think these accusations are “just implied”?
•  Individual A “explained that for decades, [Madigan] had named individuals to be ComEd employees, such as meter readers, as part of an ‘old-fashioned patronage system.” Does Individual A think the accusations are “just implied”?

In Champaign, Pritzker called for ethics reform as he openly condemned ComEd and blamed a culture of corrupt Springfield lobbyists.  For Pritzker, it seems, everyone is to blame except Mike Madigan.  The most urgent ethics reform Pritzker seems unable to support is Mike Madigan’s resignation.

Pritzker’s inability to cut off ties with Madigan and call for his resignation is reminiscent of a moment during the 2017-2018 gubernatorial primary when Pritzker refused to distance himself from Madigan and called accusations of his corruption nothing more than a Republican “talking point.”

Meanwhile, WBEZ reported that Pritzker is also doubling down in his defense of Madigan ally and daughter-in-law of a person of interest in the Madigan bribery investigation who Pritzker appointed to chair the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates ComEd.  The Zalewski family is part of Madigan’s inner circle.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday staunchly defended the politically-connected head of the state agency that regulates the scandal-scarred Commonwealth Edison power company and other public utilities.

Pritzker’s appointee as chairwoman of the Illinois Commerce Commission is Carrie Zalewski — whose father-in-law, former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski — profited from the broad and long-running bribery scheme ComEd has admitted to perpetrating in Illinois politics.

According to federal court records unsealed Friday, the giant electric company acknowledged steering consulting contracts to allies of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, in exchange for favorable government action in Springfield.

The feds said a former alderman they described as “Associate A” got a ComEd subcontract worth $5,000 a month after he retired from the Chicago City Council in May 2018, and Madigan allegedly brokered the “arrangement” with ComEd’s chief executive. Michael Zalewski left the Council in May 2018, and a source familiar with the ongoing federal investigation confirmed he is Associate A.

Madigan’s office had also repeatedly recommended Carrie Zalewski for a job at the ICC before Pritzker appointed her to the $136,800-a-year post in April 2019, less than three months after the governor took office, WBEZ has reported.

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Criticism of Governor JB Pritzker is growing after his failure on Friday to demand Speaker Michael Madigan’s immediate resignation.  In its editorial calling for Madigan to resign, the Daily Herald slammed Pritzker for saying Madigan should resign only “if” the allegations are true.  “With respect, Governor, that if is neither necessary nor relevant. The speaker’s effectiveness is too deeply compromised,” the Daily Herald wrote.  Pritzker is also facing questions of why he appointed the daughter-in-law of a close Madigan ally (referred to as “Associate 3” in Friday’s court documents) to be ComEd’s chief regulator and why he would retain her after the US Attorney’s announcement.

Meanwhile, Pritzker’s own legal problems are growing.  The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday about the US Attorney’s expanding investigation into Governor JB Pritzker’s potential property tax fraud schemes.  Here are two important things we learned: 1) the US Attorney’s Office is investigating the matter; and 2) the probe has already moved beyond the Governor’s Gold Coast estate to include additional properties.

From the Sun-Times on Friday:

Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor’s office over the past five months for records regarding the $330,000 property tax break that Gov. J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job.

From the Tribune late Friday night:

In addition to seeking records on the assessments of Pritzker’s side-by-side mansions on Astor Street in the Gold Coast, the U.S. attorney’s office also requested information related to assessments and appeals filed by the Schmidt, Salzman & Moran law firm “on behalf of entities affiliated with the Pritzkers, including (the) Hyatt (hotel chain), Astor Street and Pritzker Group, from Jan. 1, 2016 to present,” according to documents provided to the Tribune through an open records request.

The revelations that federal prosecutors are widening their Pritzker property tax fraud probe alongside criticism of Pritzker’s refusal to demand Madigan’s resignation prompts a few obvious questions:

1.     Did the Governor refuse to call for Speaker Madigan to step down immediately because of the expanding investigations into his own potential fraud?

2.     What did the Governor mean that the Speaker should resign if the allegations are true?  When would that be – this week, when he’s indicted, only after he’s convicted?

3.     Will the Governor discuss why he appointed Carrie Zalewski to chair the Illinois Commerce Commission, which oversees ComEd, at Madigan’s direction – and whether he is concerned that the appointment may be connected to the US Attorney’s investigation?

4.     Why would the Governor retain Zalewski as ComEd’s chief regulator after the US Attorney revealed Friday that her father-in-law – a close Madigan ally – may have been involved in the bribery scheme?

5.     At what point does the Governor believe he would have to resign based on the expanding federal probe of his property tax issues?

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Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider has released a statement following the separate press conferences of Governor Pritzker and U.S. Attorney Lausch: 

“Based on the evidence presented today by the United States Attorney’s Office, and in the context of months of revelations about the federal investigation into Speaker Michael Madigan and his closest associates, we believe it’s time for Speaker Madigan to do the right thing for Illinois and resign his office.

Governor Pritzker’s refusal to make such a clear statement may have to do with his own federal investigation into property tax fraud.  Perhaps he is concerned that calling on Speaker Madigan to resign will lead to calls for his own resignation.  We cannot discern when Governor Pritzker thinks Speaker Madigan should resign: next week, only when he’s indicted or only after he’s been convicted.  Nor can we discern whether Governor Pritzker will commit to resigning should the allegations against him bear truth.

The people of Illinois cannot afford this scandal to drag on for months and years.  Speaker Madigan should spare the citizens of Illinois by resigning immediately.  Should the federal probe of Governor Pritzker’s property tax fraud continue to escalate, we would expect him to do the same.”

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