SE Illinois News

With reports that federal investigators may be ratcheting up their probe of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) holds out greater hope for the future.

“It’s time for Illinois to be released from the hostage crisis we’ve been in for the last 40 years under Mike Madigan,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “There’s an old saying that goes, ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire,’ and I definitely think that’s the case where Mike Madigan is concerned.”

Several media outlets have reported that federal agents are asking more direct questions about Madigan than ever before as several corruption probes continue to play out across state government. According to the Chicago Tribune, as many as four different individuals have confirmed they were directly asked about Madigan's involvement in lobbying at Commonwealth Edison, employment contracts and other perks being doled out to associates of the longtime Democratic Party chairman.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago)

“We live in the age of social media, so it’s true that anyone can make up almost any story," Bailey said. "But no one can deny that these have been the stories you’ve been hearing about Madigan for years. I hope investigators are willing to exhaust every avenue in getting to the absolute bottom of all this.”

Bailey said it’s critical that Springfield also does its part.

“We’ve got to demand that we have more than just more task forces to deal with the corruption,” Bailey said. “Just like these federal investigations, something drastic has to happen in the legislature if we’re ever going to really have a chance to clean up Springfield."