Chicago City Wire

On the evening of Dec. 13, FBI agents raided the City Hall offices of longtime Alderman Ed Burke—the second such raid in less than a month.

Just as before, agents declined to disclose what they were searching for or why Burke’s premises have become a target. At the time of the first raid, agents also executed a search of Burke’s ward office headquarters, removing computers and files.

Burke insisted to ABC News he is just as in the dark as everyone else.

Toni Preckwinkle

"I don't have any reaction," he said. "You know about as much as I do. I've done nothing wrong, and I've always cooperated with investigations in the past and I'll continue to do so."

Burke has insisted investigators will find “nothing amiss."

Some have speculated authorities might be on the prowl for information about the workers' compensation fund that Burke's Finance Committee controls, which has come under federal scrutiny over the last several years.

Cook County Board Chairman Toni Preckwinkle, however, recently moved to remove him as chairman of the judicial slate amid allegations of him trying to politically steer business at O’Hare Airport.

Preckwinkle told the Sun-Times she considers the claims made against Burke by Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans to be “profoundly troubling.”

“The fact that the FBI has chosen to get involved, basically in the middle of his election race, says that there are very serious allegations that are under investigation,” she said, while also demanding that Burke relinquish his control as chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee.

Now running for mayor of Chicago, Preckwinkle took action against Burke despite him having recently hosted a fundraiser for her at his home.

Preckwinkle has also publicly gotten on board with a plan to strip the city’s longest-serving alderman of his control over the city’s $100 million-a-year workers' compensation program.