Chicago City Wire

Attorney General candidate Tom DeVore is slamming the office of the current attorney general and Nov. 8 opponent Kwame Raoul for overlooking a case of possible corruption involving State Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago). 

DeVore sympathized with Illinoisans who are suffering from the impact of corrupt public officials.

“This is another example of the feds having to come in and investigate allegations of public corruption that Kwame Raoul has ignored,” DeVore said in a statement. “Raoul’s tenure is starting to look a lot like that of his predecessor, Lisa Madigan. Recall, Lisa Madigan spent 16 years in office (2003- 2019) and couldn’t find a single instance of public corruption anywhere. Of course, a few wired-up aldermen and the massive Com-Ed scandal has revealed what most Illinois’ intuited: Illinois is replete with public corruption. That corruption is aided and abetted by Attorney Generals like Madigan and Raoul who look the other way in service to their party bosses - like Raoul has done in the Thornely case. Taxpayers are hurt by this self-serving insider dealing."  

Sims passed legislation buried in the SAFE-T Act favorable to a client of his lobbying firm. Sims was approached by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in May regarding the client, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

“I am running for Attorney General to be a check for the people of Illinois on the politically powerful - regardless of party - just as I did in private practice," DeVore added. "The only question is: Will Illinoisans vote for a check on their political leaders in 2022? Or will they give the same corrupt Illinois Democrats - who are being investigated and indicted one after another by the feds - carte blanche for another 16 years?” 

Sims is a registered lobbyist who crafted a criminal reform bill including language specifically geared towards body cameras worn by police officers. In his role as a lobbyist, Sims also has represented Axon, a company specializing in the cams. Sims' criminal attorney Thomas Anthony Durkin said Sims did nothing wrong. 

“In addition to being a State Senator, Elgie Sims is also an attorney with the Chicago law firm of Foley & Lardner, a well respected national and international law firm,” Durkin wrote in the statement. “At no time has Senator Sims done anything whatsoever inappropriate on behalf of Axon or any other client of the firm.”

Factoid 2As soon as the SAFE-T Act is put into effect Jan. 1, 2023, it will be possible to release people who have been charged with crimes like robbery, kidnapping, arson, second-degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated flight, drug-related homicide and threatening a public official. Criminals have been represented as using the law as a shield to escape punishment and continue committing crimes.

DeVore has also charged Raoul with engaging in political games when he refused to look into shady payments made to Jenny Thornley, a campaign worker for Gov. J.B. Pritzker who falsely accused her boss of sexual misconduct and received a financial award from the Pritzker administration after being caught stealing money, The Center Square reported. 

The lack of action taken by Raoul's office in the matter of former house speaker Michael Madigan has also drawn criticism. Twenty-two counts of public corruption have been brought against Madigan in connection with a $250 million bribery scam involving the electricity company ComEd. Raoul received $1 million from Madigan — who is still active in politics despite his murky legal situation — during the 2018 election cycle.