Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) | Wikipedia
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) | Wikipedia
Chicago Republican Party Chairman Chris Cleveland sees nothing out of character about the way longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) is handling the ongoing sexual assault investigation involving McHenry County Board chairman and former state representative Jack Franks (R-Marengo).
“The fact that Madigan's office published the warrant despite the judge's gag order shows that they are interested only in preserving their own political hide,” Cleveland told Chicago City Wire. “They somehow found a way to release the search warrant even though there was a gag order.”
Illinois State Police recently executed a raid on Madigan’s Springfield office, looking for evidence related to criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual assault, official misconduct, stalking and aggravated battery allegations against Franks stemming from a case that dates back to 2016 while he was still in Springfield. With the case still unfolding and under a judge’s gag order, Madigan’s office nonetheless recently moved to release a statement claiming that staffers took immediate action to protect the alleged victim and to conduct a full investigation of her complaint.
Chicago GOP Chairman Chris Cleveland
Leading up to the search, Madigan's office made available to authorities information it had gathered related to the case after receiving a complaint against Franks from a staff member, according to several media reports. Following an internal investigation, Franks was prohibited from any contact with employees in the Springfield office.
Meanwhile, Cleveland is on record telling West Cook News he sees the entire Madigan organization as being corrupt from “top to bottom.”
Over the last year, several of Madigan’s close associates have come under scrutiny on various fronts. Among them is longtime lobbyist Mike McClain, who now faces questions about a 2012 email he sent in which he referenced a potential coverup about "the rape in Champaign."