An Illinois state senator who was indicted last week on federal charges of taking more than a quarter million dollars in salary and benefits from the Teamsters while doing little or no work has been removed as chairman of the Illinois Senate's Labor Committee but he's still being allowed to sit on the committee.
The Chicago Sun-Times also reports that State Sen. Tom Cullerton has been given a new assignment — chairman of the Senate's Veterans Affairs Committee — by the senate president who's also his cousin.
Cullerton "is honored to serve the Illinois Senate in any capacity requested of him," his spokeswoman Lissa Druss said in a statement.
"As an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army, he is incredibly proud to work closely with our distinguished veterans," Druss continued, adding that he "vows to not let up on his work in the legislature with regards to the deadly outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in our state."
John Patterson, spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, said in a statement that the shift in committee assignments was a "mutual decision."
The attorney for the 49-year-old suburban Chicago Democrat said after the indictment was announced that the allegations are false.
