Kendall County Times

Veteran state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) argues U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s silence about embattled House Speaker Mike Madigan tells you everything you need to know.

“While a growing number of Democrats are calling for Madigan’s resignation, Rep. Underwood continues to stay silent,” Oberweis told the Kendall County Times. “All the while, Underwood has refused to distance herself from Madigan as other women in her party have led the way against the Madigan culture of corruption.”

Now challenging Underwood in the 14th Congressional District, Oberweis insists her motivations seem obvious.

“Not only has she refused to call for Madigan’s resignation, but she also continues to align herself with organizations he controls to raise money for her campaign,” he said. “There are a growing number of Democrat leaders in Illinois who have shown a willingness to put the good of the state above their political party by calling for Speaker Madigan to resign. But Lauren Underwood continues to stay silent.”

According to Oberweis, the Lauren Underwood Victory Fund is a joint fundraising committee connected to the Democrat Party of Illinois, which is controlled by Madigan in his role as chairman.

“The people of the 14th District deserve to know why Lauren Underwood continues to rely on a man who is under federal investigation to raise money for her campaign,” he added. “Instead, all we get is silence. Enough is enough. It is time for Underwood to break her silence.”

Oberweis said Underwood's reaction should come as nothing new to those who know her best, pointing to the way she remained mum when former staffer Hadiya Afzal was forced to end her run for the DuPage County Board after tweeting a link to a video of police officers being attacked and posting she has “been watching this on repeat for 15 minutes and laughing every single time.”