West Cook News

The Illinois Opportunity Project is questioning how voters can trust House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) following the ComEd Four convictions. 

“How can Illinois residents trust Speaker Welch's leadership when just two years ago he was thankful for all Madigan had done?” the Illinois Opportunity Project said on Facebook. 

IOP linked to a photo with a comment Welch made in support of Madigan. 

"This state will never be able to adequately thank Speaker Madigan for the job he has done,” Welch said, according to IOP. 

Welch 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.

IOP’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 under investigation, Madigan reportedly participated in the 2022 election campaign. Additionally, he transferred the last $10 million from his campaign budget to his defense fund.