PEORIA, Ill. – Illinois State Representative Ryan Spain minces no words when it comes to the sentencing of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The Peoria Republican says Madigan is “finally going where he belongs,”
The 83-year-old Madigan was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, three years probation and a $2.5 million fine for his February conviction on ten corruption charges, including bribery.
“No amount of time behind bars can pay back the people of Illinois for the corruption that Mike Madigan poisoned our statehouse with over his decades of power,” Spain said in a statement. “I hope Illinois’ Democrat leaders were watching (Friday) because if this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call to clean up the stain of corruption on Illinois government, I don’t know what will.”
Spain is the only remaining member of the Illinois House who filed the 2020 Special Investigating Committee Petition to look into Madigan’s conduct.
But, Spain is also critical of now-Speaker Chris Welch who, Spain says, shut down the investigation, calling the committee a “sham” and a “political show trial.”
Spain says now that Madigan’s conviction and sentence have been handed down, “the only ‘sham’ seems to be current Speaker Welch’s actions to protect his prison-bound former mentor.”
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