More Democrats Say It’s Time For A New Illinois House Speaker Who Is Not Michael Madigan
Calls for Madigan to step aside as Illinois House Speaker grew as his confidante, Michael McClain, and three others were charged in a ComEd bribery scheme.
WBEZ Investigations
Power Players
The federal investigation into ComEd and Illinois politicians.
Utility giant Commonwealth Edison and its parent company, Exelon, are at the center of a sprawling federal corruption investigation. WBEZ’s Government & Politics Team has revealed the feds are probing whether the companies hired politically-connected contractors and employees – some of whom did little or no work – in exchange for favorable government actions, including electricity rate hikes. It’s just one of several federal probes that have reverberated through Illinois government in recent months that WBEZ is following.
Following the latest developments here.
Latest
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Feds Charge Former Top ComEd Executives, Lobbyists In Springfield Corruption Case
Among the four people charged Wednesday was Michael McClain, a close confidante of Illinois House Speaker and Democratic boss Michael Madigan.
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Consumer Watchdog Group Is Accused Of Serving As ‘ComEd’s Lapdog’
Lawyers suing the power company over its Springfield bribery scheme say the Citizens Utility Board is not acting in the public’s interest.
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Outlines Her Demands To ComEd
ComEd’s franchise agreement with Chicago is up for renewal, and Lightfoot wants change to the company’s rate structure, among other demands.
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What You Need To Know About The House Investigation Into Michael Madigan
Republicans triggered a House investigation into Madigan’s dealings with ComEd, but the speaker’s ouster appears to be a political longshot.
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A Former High-Ranking ComEd Exec Is Charged In Madigan-Connected Probe
Fidel Marquez, Jr. was the power company’s top in-house lobbyist. He faces federal bribery and conspiracy charges for helping steer jobs and contracts to the speaker’s allies.
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Illinois Legislature Launches GOP-Driven Probe Into House Speaker Michael Madigan
Three top Republicans in the Illinois legislature filed paperwork pushing for the investigation of Madigan and any ties to the ComEd bribery scandal, an effort the speaker said was driven by politics.
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Study Cautions Chicago City Hall Not To Cut Ties With ComEd
An outside consultant says it would cost City Hall billions to ditch the embattled utility and run its own power company — and customers’ rates wouldn’t go down.
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Gov. JB Pritzker Takes On ComEd With New Plan For Rates, Ethics
Pritzer proposes ethics reforms after ComEd bribery scheme that allowed the utility giant to win favorable legislation that boosted profits at ratepayers’ expense.
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Chicago Aldermen Grill ComEd As The City Confirms Plans To Sign A New Deal With The Utility
The political corruption scandal engulfing ComEd takes center stage at a Chicago City Council hearing on the city’s contract with the power company.
