Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Republican Party is asking state residents to help them remove indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan from the state’s political scene.  

"Despite his indictment for a racketeering and bribery scheme of almost $3 million, he remains the de facto leader for Illinois Democrats," the Illinois Republican Party said in an email. "Make no mistake: Corrupt Springfield politicians like JB Pritzker haven’t backed away from Madigan because he’s corrupt. They’ve distanced themselves because Madigan got caught." 

Despite the fact that he is facing charges, Madigan has continued to engage in political activity. Madigan was spotted at his old campaign office on Chicago's southwest side, according to a recent NBC Chicago story. He was the country's longest-serving House speaker, having held the job for a total of 36 years.

"Madigan has indicated that he won’t leave politics on his own," Illinois GOP stated. "That means we need to kick him out of politics for good! He’s the poster child for Springfield corruption and the dozens of cronies he’s helped get elected are no better." 

Madigan is paying for his criminal defense with almost $10 million in campaign funds. He's been charged with 22 counts of public corruption. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

His war chest has been a big beneficiary of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker, a billionaire, donated $10.17 million in 2018, which is just about the amount his campaign coffers hold now, according to a Patch news article.

After being accused of overseeing a racketeering ring engaged in a $150 million bribery scam, Madigan pleaded not guilty. Madigan's plan for gaining power included providing jobs for politically connected people. In order to achieve this goal, Madigan is accused of running a multi-million dollar bribery ring, Illinois Policy reported.

"The indictment alleges a long-term, multifaceted scheme to use public positions for unlawful gain, including no-show or low-show jobs for Madigan's political workers and private gain for Madigan himself," U.S. Attorney John Lausch said at a news conference in the wake of the indictment. "The schemes describe involvement of a leader of state government, one of his close confidantes, top management of a large public utility, consultants and others."

In a statement, Madigan denies these accusations.

"I was never involved in any criminal activity. The government is attempting to criminalize a routine constituent service: Job recommendations. That is not illegal," he said, NBC Chicago reported.