CORRUPTION/ETHICS
Illinois Speaker Welch tries to contain fallout over handling of Harry Benton harassment allegations
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, seeking to contain political fallout over his handling of sexual harassment complaints against former state Rep. Harry Benton, held outreach meetings with Democratic caucuses Tuesday, telling members that delays in taking action against Benton stemmed from the wishes of a now-former Benton staffer who first reported the allegations three years ago.
Welch said his office waited three months after the female staffer notified his office of a lengthy list of harassment allegations before taking any action, because the young woman said she wanted the speaker’s office to wait until she had left her job, according to several Democratic House members who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions.
But the former Benton staffer told the Tribune on Tuesday she did not recall telling the speaker’s office to delay taking action and, just weeks after filing her initial report of harassment allegations against the former Plainfield Democrat, she told the speaker’s office about additional inappropriate comments she experienced with Benton. She has said Welch took no action on her complaints.
Welch also told lawmakers he had acted to respect the former staffer’s wishes not to “pursue” action against Benton. But she said that was in reference to her rejecting Welch’s office’s push for her to file a report with the legislative inspector general’s office. She has said she preferred that Welch’s office handle the matter internally and further stated that she didn’t want other women to face harassment from Benton in the future.
“I genuinely, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t remember saying, ‘Wait till I left,’” the former staffer, who left Benton’s office after only six months on the job, said Tuesday of her prior dealings with Welch’s office.
“I was very anxious at the time. It was very stressful, my departure from the office. But I do not recall saying, ‘Wait to take action,’” she said. “But regardless, I feel that they had an obligation to do something, and even what they ended up doing, the conversation (with Benton) that they did or did not have about his … sexually harassing me and other women, obviously, they did not do enough at the time.
“But victim blaming is never the answer for someone in (Welch’s) position, the position of power. He is a leader,” she said.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune.
Speaker Welch’s Promise Rings Hollow
When Speaker Welch first took the gavel, he promised a “new day” in the Illinois House following the downfall of his mentor and predecessor, Michael Madigan. Yet despite those promises of reform, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are ringing hollow.
Those promises didn’t come out of nowhere. Years earlier, Speaker Welch publicly acknowledged exactly how sexual harassment allegations should be handled. In a 2017 interview with WTTW, he said:
“I think when people have the courage to speak up, they should be heard. We should listen to them.”“Those types of things should be taken seriously.”“We need to change that culture, change that environment, and do something about it.”
And now to make matters worse, Speaker Welch is trying to blame the victim in all of this rather than take accountability. According to the Tribune, Welch told members of his caucus that delays in taking action against former Rep. Harry Benton “stemmed from the wishes of a now-former Benton staffer who first reported the allegations three years ago.”
The Tribune also reported that the former staffer disputes that characterization.
As Speaker Welch continues to face scrutiny over his handling of the Benton scandal, House Republicans are once again calling for stronger ethics reforms, including HB 1382, which would strengthen the authority of the Legislative Inspector General to conduct independent investigations and root out corruption at the Capitol.
House Republican Women Call for Accountability
House Republican women issued the following statement in response to ongoing reports regarding sexual harassment allegations against former State Representative Harry Benton, who recently resigned, and questions about the delayed handling of those allegations by House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch:
“To our female colleagues on the other side of the aisle – We are asking you to join us in demanding the truth. Your voices matter, your leadership matters, and your willingness to stand together can change the culture of this institution. Silence will only protect the status quo. As you meet with the Speaker, do not accept closed door excuses, we need public explanations and public change. This problem was created in backrooms, but it cannot be solved in backrooms.“
House Republican women include House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, Deputy Minority Leader Norine Hammond, Assistant Minority leaders Amy Elik and Jackie Haas, and State Representatives Regan Deering, Amy Grant, Nicole La Ha, and Jennifer Sanalitro.
Legislative Ethics Commission votes unanimously to release Benton report
MOORE’S SUMMARY: As expected, the Legislative Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to, in the future, release Legislative Inspector General Mike McCuskey’s founded report concerning the conduct of disgraced ex-Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield.
FROM THE CHAIR: “After considering the matter before us for case number 26-005 concerning the complaint against former Rep. Harry Benton, we voted to publish the report pursuant to our statutory obligations,” said Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, who chairs the bipartisan, bicameral committee. “To protect the privacy of those involved in this case, the respondent and complainant will be given the opportunity to review the report for potential redactions, which the Commission will review.”
WHAT HAPPENS NOW: Benton, McCuskey and any named complainants each have the right to review the documents and offer redactions before they are made public. The LEC said it anticipates this process being completed by July 31.
WHY IT MATTERS: The release of the report, which had been in question in the aftermath of Benton’s July 3 resignation, became a forgone conclusion when a bombshell Chicago Tribune report published last week revealed that Welch’s office knew for years about sexual harassment allegations made against Benton.
Read more from Capitol News Illinois.
McCombie Responds to LEC Vote on Release of Benton Report
After the bipartisan Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC) voted unanimously to release a report detailing the sexual harassment complaint regarding former State Representative Harry Benton, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement: “Thank you to the members of the Legislative Ethics Commission for doing the right thing: transparency is key for us to move forward, understand how we can improve, and to demand accountability for those who failed to uphold the integrity of our chamber. Unfortunately, we may never know what happened before this report due to the silence of leaders who have repeatedly chosen politics over principles.”
Special Investigating Committee sets first hearing on Ammons Charges
After State Rep. Carol Ammons was indicted on federal felony charges in early July, she retained her seat, vote, and paycheck as a member of the Illinois House. The charges against Ammons include wire fraud. Sharply criticizing Rep. Ammons’ refusal to resign from office in the wake of the federal indictment, House Republicans took the lead to call for a Special Investigating Committee to investigate the charges against Ammons and her conduct as a member of the Illinois House. The members of the House Special Investigating Committee have been appointed and the Committee will meet for the first time on Thursday, August 6, in Springfield The Committee will be authorized to administer oaths, ask questions, draw up a picture of the conduct carried out by Rep. Ammons and her family and inner circle, and write a report on the conduct. Although the Illinois House is authorized by law to strongly sanction its own members, with sanctions up to and including expulsion by two-thirds vote, the Committee is not authorized to do this. Only a vote of the full Illinois House can discipline a member of the House.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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