Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Teutopolis) said the federal indictment against former Speaker of the House Mike Madigan is overdue.
“This indictment has been a long time coming and it is my hope that justice will be served in this case,” he said.
A U.S. Attorney’s Office release reported Madigan was indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, bribery and extortion. Racketeering charges are more commonly associated with organized crime. The indictment alleges that Madigan was the leader of a criminal enterprise meant to give him more political power and financial stability while making money for his political allies.
Madigan denied the allegations.
“I was never involved in any criminal activity,” he said in a statement. “The government is attempting to criminalize a routine constituent service: job recommendations. That is not illegal, and these other charges are equally unfounded.”
Madigan resigned as House Speaker in February 2021 after 50 years in the Illinois House of Representatives. At the time that Madigan left the legislature, there was an ongoing bribery probe involving him and Commonwealth Edison. He had not been charged at that point.
When he resigned he released a statement denying allegations and touting his record as a public servant.
“It’s no secret that I have been the target of vicious attacks by people who sought to diminish my many achievements lifting the working people of Illinois,” Madigan said. “The fact is, my motivation for holding elected office has never wavered. I have been resolute in my dedication to public service and integrity, always acting in the interest of the people of Illinois.”
Madigan’s indictment also sparked calls from Republican lawmakers for more ethics reform legislation, but Democratic lawmakers don't seem interested.
“House Democrats have proven their indifference toward corruption by continuing to block the ethics reforms our state so desperately needs,” Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Chicago) wrote on Facebook. “One of the numerous ethics bills killed by House Democrats was House Bill 2842, which would give the Legislative Inspector General more autonomy in investigating complaints against lawmakers by allowing the office to issue subpoenas independently of the Legislative Ethics Commission.”
An ethics reform bill signed into law by Gov. Pritzker last year spurred the resignation of Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope who said the bill didn't give her enough tools to prosecute corruption.
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