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“The apology from Sen. Sandoval for the detestable pictures from his event depicting an assassination of President Trump is too little, too late. Dangerous imagery like this will be condemned and seen as inappropriate by people of sound mind; however, a mentally unstable individual who wants to harm President Trump might find them as an inspiration. It’s inexcusable for an elected official to allow the promotion of violence in any way. If the individual pictured is a staffer or volunteer, they should be terminated immediately.”

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider

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Today the Illinois Democrats celebrate and talk about the “BIG” things they have accomplished – BIG spending, BIG tax hikes and BIG government. However, it’s likely we won’t hear them answering questions about their rampant corruption and unpopular policies.

“Illinois Democrats will try every which way to avoid answering questions Illinoisans deserve answers to. Their silence on the corruption ravaging their party further erodes what trust the public has left in state government. Will any Democrat address their colleagues corrupt activities, or will they choose to hide and not stand up for taxpayers?”

Joe Hackler, ILGOP Spokesman

Now that Governor’s Day is bringing all Democratic leaders together in one place at one time, the media and interested citizens can hopefully get some answers to those pressing questions. The following are a few questions that voters deserve to hear answered: 

1. Should Senator Tom Cullerton step down after being indicted on 41 counts of embezzlement, conspiracy, and making false statements?
2. Do any Democrats agree with Senate President John Cullerton that Sen. Tom Cullerton is a valuable member of the caucus and deserved a new chairmanship?
3. Did Speaker Madigan know about the payments from his allies and friends going to Kevin Quinn?
4. Did Speaker Madigan know the person he hired to investigate incidents like Kevin Quinn’s harassment was the sister of two men sending to checks to Quinn after he was dismissed?
5. Do any Democrats agree with leading presidential candidates that all private healthcare insurance should be abolished?
6. Do any Democrats agree with leading presidential candidates that illegal border crossing should be decriminalized? 
7. Do any Democrats agree with leading presidential candidates that illegal immigrants should be given free healthcare? 

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Illinois Democrats are either silent or praising the State Senator who will be arraigned this week after being indicted on 41 counts, including embezzlement and conspiracy

Sen. Cullerton must resign immediately. He may be hoping Illinoisans will forget about his criminal behavior, but the people of this state are fed up with corruption at the hands of its public officials. The self dealing must end now if citizens are ever going to put trust in their government to work for them and not the political ruling class.

ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider called on Sen. Tom Cullerton to resign last week after it was reported by the Chicago Tribune that the Democrat legislator has been indicted by federal prosecutors. Since then, it’s been business as usual for Illinois Democrats as Cullerton will be arraigned in US District Court this Wednesday – Governor’s Day at the State Fair.

Chairman Schneider is shocked at the silence from Illinois Democrats and especially the complimentary words of Senate President John Cullerton, who called his indicted cousin ‘a valued member of the caucus and a friend of mine’. President Cullerton didn’t just stop at nice words, he also cut Sen. Tom Cullerton a sweet deal, removing him from one committee chairmanship and giving him another – keeping in place the $10,500 pay hike chairs receive. 

Schneider responded, saying, “The shamelessness of Senate President Cullerton’s words and actions are a slap in the face to every Illinoisan. Embezzlement and conspiracy come with jail time for regular people. For a Democrat senator, those crimes come with a new committee chairmanship and praise. Are there any Illinois Democrats who will speak up and do the right thing?”

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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Moments ago, the Illinois House passed the Reproductive Health Act (House Amendment 1 to SB 25) stripping away restrictions for late term abortions. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following response:

“In just a few short years, the Democrat party in Illinois went from advocating ‘safe, legal and rare’ to abortion on-demand, at any time, for any reason, and funded by taxpayers. This is not the typical pro-life vs. pro-choice debate I have been accustomed to in my lifetime. The RHA goes much further. It’s an extreme bill that functionally eliminates any and all restrictions for the termination of a life up until the moment of birth. That is unconscionable and I urge the Senate and the Governor to reject this bill.”

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider 

Advocates have pushed the legislation under the dishonest guise of cleaning up statute language in light of court injunctions since the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 was written. Chairman Schneider commented on the attempted gaslighting of the public, saying, “The abortion activists pushing this insidious bill are trying to say it’s about Trump, about the bill passed in Alabama, or simply pretending the bill is something it’s not. It’s a late term abortion bill. Period.”

Background – Late Term “Restrictions”, Other State Laws & Public Opinion

According to the bill, “restrictions” for late term abortions are for cases involving the “health of the patient” which is explicitly defined as virtually anything. The RHA states that the “health of the patient” is for situations “including, but not limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and familial health and age.” This provision touted as late term abortion restrictions is just a paragraph explaining in plain language how there are no actual restrictions. 

Before the latest spate of pro-life bills were passed in Georgia, Alabama, and others, there were equally controversial bills expanding abortion rights passed or introduced in states like New York and Virginia. The context of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act is that it goes even further than places like New York. New York and others preserved statute language restricting abortions past the point of viability to those threatening the life and health of the mother. The Illinois RHA drops this pretense of late term abortion restriction as well as codifying into law the dehumanizing belief that a fetus – whether at one week or eight months gestation – “does not have independent rights under the laws of this State.” That radical belief exceeds the standards set in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Those two landmark cases recognized a legitimate state interest in protecting fetal rights after viability. 

It’s not just pro-life activists recognizing the extreme nature of the RHA. The bill squarely meets the definition of “extreme” according to public opinion. According to the latest numbers from Gallup in 2018, the percentage of people nationwide who believe abortion should be legal in the last three months of pregnancy is 13%. Compare that to the 81% of people who say it should be illegal. Any measure that seemingly has a good chance of becoming law and rejects the opinion of 81% of the public on a very hot-button issue is objectively far outside of the mainstream. That’s why the proponents are so aggressive in their misrepresentation of what the RHA actually does.