by Greg Bishop
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is facing corruption charges more than two years after a federal probe first started, according to media reports.
The office of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch Jr. announced a news conference Wednesday to “announce an indictment in a public corruption investigation.”
Details of the indictment are not yet known. The news conference is set for 4:30 p.m. in Chicago.
During a separate news conference in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the expected charges.
The ABC7 I-Team said it has confirmed it is going to be Mike Madigan indicted by the feds, a reporter announced.
“We’ve got to root out corruption wherever it exists throughout the government,” Pritzker said. “Anybody who is guilty of corruption or corrupt acts should be held to the fullest extent of the law, accountable for their actions.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot didn’t want to get out in front of the facts.
Having held his statehouse seat for 50 years as of January 2021 and the gavel as Speaker of the House for much of that time, Madigan led a legislative body for a longer time than any other in American history.
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Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning Newsfeed out of Springfield.
