Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan released a list of nine complaints that include harassment or discrimination, from the past 5 years inside his office.
“We may not have tracked every incident so we didn’t include all of them, but this is every incident that was essentially reported by staff,” said Madigan’s attorney Heather Wier Vaught.
Madigan’s attorney said the list does not include complaints of a member against another member or lobbyist complaints.
State Representative Kelly Cassidy of Rogers Park believes harassment at the Illinois Capitol is widespread.
“I think that this really does represent the tip of the iceberg,” said Cassidy. “I’ve actually called for an outside independent investigator to look into all of the committees and the state House.”
Speaker Madigan said he is prepared to cooperate with any inquiry.
“This is a new and unprecedented action we’ve taken,” said Madigan.
In addition, he said he welcomes an independent investigation but disagrees with some fellow Democrats who want him to step down, even temporarily as party chairman.
“I’m not resigning, I will move forward,” Madigan expressed. “I’m working with this particular issue and we’re going to work our way through it.”
Madigan has asked three women lawmakers to lead a state-wide conversation on how to change the law and culture when it comes to harassment.
