Illinois Valley Times

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) isn’t at all surprised by Springfield’s ongoing struggles.

“There’s a cost to corruption and Illinois has a long history of it,” Rezin told the Illinois Valley Times soon after House Speaker Mike Madigan was implicated in an ongoing federal corruption probe, thus joining Gov. J.B. Pritzker in giving the state the dubious distinction of having two of its most powerful leaders under federal probe at the same time.

Madigan, who easily reigns as the longest-tenured lawmaker in the state, now finds himself at the center of a still-evolving probe into ComEd, in which prosecutors are on record in asserting that the company engaged in a “years-long bribery scheme” involving jobs, contracts and payments that were steered to him in his role as house speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.

While stopping short of formally levying any charges, prosecutors contend Commonwealth Edison attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him.

“To get this state back on the right track, we have to remove leaders that are being investigated and put in new leaders that are committed to working on behalf of the people,” Rezin added. “It’s the only way forward. Speaker Madigan needs to step down from that post at least until this investigation is completed.”

In publicly announcing the case against ComEd public, U.S. Attorney John Lausch noted the investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Tribune reports federal investigators have moved to subpoena Madigan for information, including “possible job recommendations.”

“I don’t see how he can continue to serve as Speaker,” Rezin added. “When you’re in that role, one of the duties is to decide what legislation gets to come up for a full vote. With everything that’s happening, clearly the chance for a conflict of interest is there.”