As Mayor Daley gets ready to say goodbye to City Hall, the FBI releases files that link him to a convicted political insider.
The Better Government Association obtained FBI files on John F. "Jack" Duff, who died in 2008 at the age of 82, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. And Daley's name was mentioned.
Duff's son was convicted on 33 charges in 2005, including fraud and racketeering. The 600-plus page report included newspaper stories, subpoenas and agents' notes keeping tabs on Duff. The BGA says the files don't point to any wrongdoing by Daley, but the report shows there are about 20 references regarding Daley and Duff, according to the Sun-Times.
The paper reports one of the documents included a summary of an interview conducted by the FBI with an unidentified person. This person apparently recalled seeing Mayor Daley and Duff sitting at a table together with several aldermen at the old Como Inn restaurant.
In the same document, the Duffs are described as "assisting Mayor Daley with promoting certain individuals for election," according to the Sun-Times.
Daley has acknowledged he knew the Duffs and accepted campaign help and money from them, but he says his relationship with them was nothing special.
This new information comes as the Mayor bids farewell to Chicago residents after 22 years in office. The mayor will host an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at City Hall. Daley's last day in office is Monday, May 16.
