Kendall County Times

Veteran state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove), now running in the 14th Congressional District, is calling on incumbent opponent Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) to completely distance herself from and return any campaign funds donated to her by House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“In light of recent news report revealing that House Speaker is Public Official A in the federal bribery investigation of ComEd, it is time for Underwood to stop partnering with Madigan to raise money for her campaign,” Oberweis said. “The people of the 14th District deserve better. I urge Underwood to do the right thing and end her partnership with the speaker.”

Madigan, who easily reigns as the longest-tenured lawmaker in the state, now finds himself at the center of a still-evolving probe into ComEd, in which prosecutors are on record in asserting that the company engaged in a “years-long bribery scheme” involving jobs, contracts and payments that were steered to him in his role as house speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.

While stopping short of formally levying any charges, prosecutors contend Commonwealth Edison attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him.

The Lauren Underwood Victory Fund is a joint fund-raising committee with ties to the Democrat Party of Illinois that is also run by Madigan. Oberweis’ demand includes calling on Underwood to severe with Madigan by ending her joint fundraising efforts with organizations he controls.

In publicly announcing the case against ComEd public, U.S. Attorney John Lausch noted the investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Tribune reports federal investigators have moved to subpoena Madigan for information, including “possible job recommendations.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Madigan said he plans to cooperate with the probe, adding “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended.”

Oberweis said he isn’t holding his breath for Underwood to take a stand.

“Unfortunately, I suspect all we will get from Rep. Underwood is more silence,” Oberweis added. “Either she is blind to the cloud of corruption surrounding the speaker or she is willfully choosing to ignore the truth. Either way, her silence is unacceptable. It is time for Democrat officials at all levels of government to demand new leadership.”