Kane County Reporter

Spurred by former House Speaker Michael Madigan's federal indictment, Rep. Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora) is joining his Republican colleagues in demanding ethics reform.

"Ending corruption in Illinois means elected officials need to be held to the highest ethical standards. Democrats need to stop dragging their feet on real ethics reform in our state so we can end the practices that kept Mike Madigan in control for decades," Wheeler posted on Facebook.

Madigan, 79, has been charged with 22 counts, according to the indictment. It "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," according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois.

On March 9, Madigan pleaded not guilty to all charges. Madigan will appear in front of a U.S. district judge for a hearing on April 1.

The last Legislative Inspector General (LIG), Carol Pope, announced her resignation in July, complaining that her office is essentially a 'paper tiger.'

"When I took this job as the Legislative Inspector General, I thought I might be able to make a difference working from the inside," Pope wrote in her resignation letter. "I thought I could be useful in improving the public's view of the legislature and help bring about true ethics reform. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do so. This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority." When Pope had taken the job in 2018, the office of LIG had been vacant for more than four years.