Kane County Reporter

After former House Speaker Mike Madigan was indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges, state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) took to Facebook to criticize Democrats who have opposed ethics reform legislation.

"In 2020, then-Speaker Mike Madigan was implicated in a decades-long bribery scheme that underlined the dire need for sweeping ethics reform in Illinois," Ugaste posted. "Since those allegations, Democrats have blocked numerous bills that would have helped fight corruption in our state. One of those ethics bills was HB 3726, which would prohibit lawmakers and their immediate family members from lobbying state and local officials." 

HB 3726 was introduced in February of 2021. The legislation would prohibit members of the General Assembly and their family members from participating in lobbying, making it a Class 3 felony.

The last Legislative Inspector General (LIG), Carol Pope, resigned in July, stating her office was "essentially a paper tiger," according to the Chicago Sun Times. Pope wrote in her resignation letter that when she accepted the position as LIG, she had hoped to be "able to make a difference working from the inside." Pope called out lawmakers for failing to pass effective ethics reform legislation and stated, "This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority." The office of LIG had been vacant for more than four years when Pope took the job in 2018.

Madigan was indicted on March 2 on federal racketeering and bribery charges. According to a release from the Department of Justice, "The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan's political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates." 

Madigan is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. The release notes that in addition to his role as Speaker of the House, Madigan has also held the positions of representative of Illinois' 22nd District, committeeman for Chicago's 13th Ward, chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.