Corrupt Democrat State Politician Exposed, Ruled Through ‘Fear and Intimidation’

It is no secret that the State of Illinois has suffered from rank corruption. A University of Illinois study ranked the state, on a per capita basis, as the third most corrupt state in the Union. The same study found that since data was first collected in 1976, Chicago has remained “the most corrupt federal judicial district in the nation.” Now a forthcoming corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D) exposes how he, in the words of one witness, used his immense powers to rule “through fear and intimidation.”

Mr. Madigan was a long staple of Illinois Democratic politics as he served in the state House from 1971 to 2021 and was speaker from 1983 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2021. He also served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. His long and nearly unbroken reign came to an end in 2021 when he was charged with 23 counts of racketeering, bribery, and official misconduct. He is set to go to court in April of 2024. A trial of one of the companies, ComEd, that is alleged to have illicitly influenced Mr. Madigan and profited from their connection to him has exposed much of the former lawmaker’s alleged ill deeds.

During the course of that trial, one of the witnesses for the prosecution is a currently serving state House Democrat, Robert Rita. Mr. Rita, who has been in the state House since 2003, testified that Mr. Madigan held “total control” over his legislative body and over his party. Mr. Rita detailed how any committee assignment or bill was in the hands of the former speaker and how this created unchecked powers of patronage. Mr. Madigan’s use of these powers was demonstrated “[t]hrough fear and intimidation” and that opposing Mr. Madigan meant that getting elected as a Democrat was “very, very difficult.”

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Mr. Rita testified that those who failed to fall in line with the speaker found themselves with a well-funded primary opponent. Mr. Madigan wielded these powers to, according to Mr. Rita, pass a bill that granted $1.8 billion to ComEd, an electric company. While Mr. Madigan did not vote on the bill itself, Mr. Rita noted that the Speaker’s proteges lobbied for its adoption and that ultimately “[i]f he [Speaker Madigan] didn’t support it, it wouldn’t have passed.”

A wiretapped call between Mr. Madigan and a ComEd lobbyist was played during this trial where the two were discussing the appointment of committee chairs who would look out for their interests and stall any unfavorable legislation. During the call, Mr. Madigan even remarked that “every once in a while, the speaker gets to do what he wants to.”

All this goes to show that Democratic one-party rule Springfield-style does not tend to resolve or mitigate corruption problems within a state but rather exacerbate them.

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