Macon Reporter

State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) believes it’s essential that prosecutors leave no stone unturned in their ongoing federal corruption probe that now finds House Speaker Mike Madigan at its center.

“The only way for the people of Illinois to have true justice is for those that have been complicit in this criminal enterprise to also face justice,” Plummer told the Macon Reporter. “This doesn’t end with the prosecution of just one or even a couple of people.”

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.

“There’s obviously a lot more to learn, but I don’t think anyone is surprised by this,” Plummer added. “For too long, Illinois has been a hotbed of corruption and much of it starts at the top. I’ve been calling for the speaker to resign for many years now.”

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.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Madigan said he plans to cooperate with the probe, adding “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended.”