(The Center Square) –
Add a little more than half a million dollars to the $22 million that Illinois
House Speaker Michael Madigan has at his disposal.
Madigan is the
chairman of four political campaign funds. Illinois campaign finance expert
Kent Redfield said Madigan has a lot of options.
“You can move an awful
lot of money into the system and then move it around, private money, and it
would not be obvious just looking at the basic campaign finance law,” Redfield
said.
On Tuesday, the speaker’s
personal campaign fund received about $555,000 in one day, mostly from a
Chicago area labor group. And while there are campaign finance limits, those
caps can be removed after certain conditions.
That money can be used
for a variety of things, Redfield notes.
“There are other
purposes besides spending them on elections,” Redfield said.
Madigan has used
hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover legal fees in the past. The Chicago
Sun-Times reported in January Madigan spent nearly $1.3 million on lawyers and
related costs in a year’s time. The Speaker’s political operations dealt with a
sexual harassment allegation that was ultimately settled. He also faced a legal
challenge from a political opponent in his legislative district.
It’s possible Madigan
could have legal bills after the ComEd patronage scandal. The company agreed to
pay a $200 million fine.
State Rep. Deanne
Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, wants to prohibit politicians from using campaign funds
to pay legal bills for corruption cases.
“HB 4481, it prohibits
a political committee from making expenses to provide a defense in a criminal
case or a civil case related to official misconduct,” Mazzochi said.
Madigan has not been
charged with a crime. He has been implicated in the ComEd deferred prosecution agreement released
earlier this month. Madigan has denied wrongdoing.
Mazzochi’s proposal
would also prohibit campaign dollars from paying for legal fees and other associated
costs related to sexual harassment allegations. The proposals would require
such allocated dollars to be returned to donors.
“Not to a political
party, not to another political candidate,” Mazzochi said. “It also enforces
more transparency on this issue.”
The legislature isn’t
back until after the November election, despite calls for a special session to
address ethics reforms.