A federal jury in Chicago has found former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan guilty of corruption charges.
Madigan was the most powerful politician in Illinois until his fall in 2021. For 35 years Madigan was Speaker of the House, in addition to his roles as a Chicago ward boss and state Democratic Party chairman. He ruled Springfield with an iron fist, deciding which legislation would pass and which would never see the light of day. At his trial, federal prosecutors spent weeks producing evidence of Madigan’s cozy relationship with lobbyists and special interests who tried to curry his favor and who fed his quest for ever more power.
For years House Republicans have been introducing ethics reforms to clean up Springfield. Madigan blocked them every year, and unfortunately that trend has continued even with him out of office. There should be no more delays in passing real, meaningful ethics reform and cleaning up the mess in state government.