East Central Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) is not surprised that a bevy of corruption probes hanging like a cloud over Springfield increasingly revolve around longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).

“When you pull back all the layers of the onion, this is what you have to look at,” Miller told the East Central Reporter. “Mike Madigan’s the wizard behind the curtain pulling all the strings and nothing in Springfield happens without him signing off on it. We don’t have one-party rule in this state – we have one-man rule.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, federal agents are asking direct questions about Madigan as several political corruption investigations continue to play out across the state. Reports are that as many as four different individuals have confirmed they were questioned about Madigan's knowledge of or involvement with lobbying at Commonwealth Edison and contracts, employment and other perks being doled out to various associates of the longtime Democratic Party chairman.

Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland)

“Almost every day, we hear something new coming out that has Mike Madigan’s name attached to it,” Miller said. “It’s time that we stop trying to sweep things under the rug and time for Mike Madigan to go. The state’s name has become synonymous with corruption. It’s past time we did something to deal with this.”

Miller says that Republicans are doing everything they can, from recently filing nearly 30 ethics-reform bills to demanding that Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker call a special session to deal with the issue rather than wait until the Jan. 28 start of the next session.

“We’re talking about meaningful legislation,” Miller said. “It’s time we did away with all the task forces and did something that really addresses the problem.”