Local legislators release statements following guilty verdicts in the ComEd bribery and corruption trial in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday.
State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) said “With these convictions Illinois adds another sad chapter to its long story of government corruption. We have to pass real, meaningful ethics reform if we are ever going to restore public trust in state government.”
State Representative Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) stated “Today’s verdict is an indictment of the culture of corruption that ran rampant during the decades-long reign of former House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. The indicted former Speaker set up and controlled an organization that looked like a mob chart of political insiders, lobbyists who had previously served as legislators or Madigan staffers, and precinct captains on the take for ghost payroll jobs.
State Senator Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia) released a statement following the multiple guilty verdicts in the ComEd bribery trial… “For years politicians have gotten away with backroom for-profit deals at the expense of special interest and politically connected groups. Today’s verdict shows that nobody is above the law and is a clear indication that our state’s ethical system needs overhauled. It’s time to enact real reforms to restore the public’s trust in our state’s government by confronting the culture of corruption in Springfield that has gone unchecked for decades.”
And State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) added, “This trial has further brought to light the legislative corruption and the abuse of power that exists in our state government,” said Sen. Tracy. “It is my hope that these verdicts provide the pressure needed for the General Assembly to finally take up real reforms to change a system where too often politicians are more concerned about their own interests than those of the people.
