Under scrutiny, 50-year legislator to quit
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who set much of Illinois’ political agenda as House speaker for four decades before his ouster last month, announced Thursday that he is resigning his seat in the Legislature.
Madigan, the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history, was tarnished by a federal bribery investigation announced last summer. Madigan has not been charged in the federal case and maintains his innocence. But after being implicated, he lost his bid for a 19th term as speaker to Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
In a statement Thursday, Madigan, 78, did not explicitly state the reason for his departure at end of the month after holding the post for 50 years.
“It’s no secret that I have been the target of vicious attacks by people who sought to diminish my many achievements lifting up the working people of Illinois,” Madigan said. “I have been resolute in my dedication to public service and integrity, always acting in the interest of the people of Illinois.”
In July, Madigan was implicated in a long-running bribery scheme involving the state’s largest electric utility, ComEd, in which the utility admitted it secured jobs, often requiring little or no work, and contracts for Madigan’s associates in return for favorable treatment in regulations.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, Joseph Fitzpatrick, said that the investigation is ongoing.