Peoria Standard

Deputy House Republican Leader State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) is accusing Democrats in the state of using political strategies enacted by Michael Madigan.

The 'Madigan Way,' Spain said, is still the way the government is overseeing and controlling Springfield, and "it has to stop now." What's happening is "embarrassing," including tolerating the "poor ethical behavior of people like Mike Madigan, his associates, and others to become the way we do business in the State of Illinois."  

"What was the response from the Democratic legislators that participated in that [Madigan] Investigating Committee?” Spain said in a Facebook post. “Coverup and sweeping the facts under the rug. Members of that Investigating Committee now serve as Speaker of the House, now serve as the Chairperson of the Democratic Party of the State of Illinois.” 

Current House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Westchester) was a close confidant of Madigan’s before becoming his successor. He is accused of protecting Madigan in 2020 after closing a probe into the ComEd bribery scandal. Welch was the chairman of the committee investigating Madigan’s behavior and sought no action.

Spain’s comments come after former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker along with Madigan associate Michael McClain and lobbyist Jay Doherty, who previously ran the City Club of Chicago, were convicted of scheming to pay $1.3 million to Madigan-connected people and companies. As part of the scheme, ComEd provided jobs – some of which were no-show – and contracts to those with connections to Madigan who at the time controlled the Democratic Party and had wielded power as the state’s most powerful politician as the longest-serving state House Speaker in the nation. 

ComEd, the state’s largest utility, engaged in the scheme to influence Madigan in order to get preferential treatment in the state House. ComEd paid a $200 million fine in July 2020 and admitted to the scheme.

Sentencing has not been determined yet for the four defendants. However, each faces fines as high as $5 million and a maximum of 20 years in jail.

The 81-year-old Madigan was in power as House Speaker from 1983 to 1995 and then from 1997 to 2021. He was an Illinois House member from 1971 to 2021 before stepping down amid the scandal. He is charged in a separate filing of 23 counts of public corruption related to the ComEd scandal and is facing a single count of public corruption from a similar scheme with AT&T. Madigan will go on trial in April 2024. 

Despite being investigated, Madigan reportedly participated in the 2022 election campaign. Additionally, he transferred the last $10 million from his campaign budget to his defense fund.