Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said he won’t voluntarily testify before a House Special Investigating Committee set for Tuesday in Springfield.
The committee is investigating a ComEd bribery scheme that implicated the longtime legislative leader. The scheme was revealed in a deferred prosecution agreement federal prosecutors reached with the utility in July.
The bipartisan House Special Investigating Committee is looking into the case. A committee hearing is set for Tuesday.
Because of the ongoing federal probe, Madigan, D-Chicago, said “the need to ensure that the federal investigation runs its course without interference or distraction, I do not believe I can provide testimony before the Committee at this time.”
“For the record, I am not exercising my Fifth Amendment rights by not appearing before the Committee,” the speaker wrote. “As I have said before, I have done nothing wrong.”
He called the charges brought up in the committee from House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, “nothing more than a political stunt.”
Madigan contends the deferred prosecution agreement “does not attribute any misconduct to me.”
He then took nearly three pages of a single-spaced letter to the committee about how he believes it’s his duty to help people, including helping those seeking employment.
“I have never helped someone find a job with an expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by his or her employer,” he said. “I have never made a legislative decision with improper motives.”
“In conclusion, I cannot provide information I do not have, and cannot answer questions about issues of which I have no knowledge,” he wrote.
“As of 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, the Special Investigating Committee has received no formal indication of any witnesses planning to testify,” said committee chairman state Rep. Chris Welch. “The committee will proceed as scheduled with our Tuesday, Sept. 29 hearing at 2 p.m., and I ask all members to come prepared to conduct themselves in a manner reflective of the serious business before us.”
