November 1, 2022 – (IL-13) … Today, disgraced former Speaker of the Illinois House and Nikki Budzinski ally Mike Madigan had his lawyer plead him not guilty on new corruption charges for allegedly arranging payments to a political ally as part of a years-long corruption scheme between Madigan, his advisor Mike McClain and AT&T.
Despite the corruption surrounding nearly all of her political allies, Budzinski continues to refuse to answer any questions regarding the BGA investigation that connected her to using her government position to assist lobbyists and her lack of respect for the revolving door policies that allowed her to accept $500,000 from lobbyists and special interest groups after leaving the Governor’s Office.
“Nikki has been named in multiple investigations and indictments including those into her own finances,” said 13th Congressional Candidate Regan Deering. “We need leaders who will be open and transparent and accept responsibility for their actions so we know who is representing us in office. The voters of Illinois are sick of pay-to-play politics and deserve answers on the corruption and ethics violation questions surrounding Nikki and her campaign.”
Budzinski continues to avoid answering basic ethics questions including:
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Will she disclose the nature of her work with the consulting contracts questioned in the BGA investigation?
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What services did she provide as a consultant to the lobbying firm that she also helped get access when she was in the Governor’s Office?
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What was her hourly rate for these contracts that totaled $500,000?
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In her position as a top advisor, did the Governor’s Office determine that she was subject to the revolving door ban in the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act?
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Has she been in communication with the Office of Executive Inspector General about her consulting clients?
The new Madigan indictment is in addition to additional racketeering and bribery charges involving Comed – the business that received a multi-billion dollar bailout in the Clean Energy Jobs Act that was spearheaded by Nikki Budzinski. Budzinski was also the recipient of the infamous ‘list’ of political hires that Madigan sent to her and the governor’s chief of staff.
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