The U.S. attorney who secured a 22-count indictment against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says there's more work to be done.
Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney John Lausch, a holdover from the Trump administration, stayed on after President Joe Biden took office at the behest of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield.
As other U.S. attorneys that former President Donald Trump selected were leaving their posts to make way for Biden appointees, Durbin said Lausch was involved in important investigations and should remain.
In the summer of 2020, Lausch’s office revealed a deferred prosecution agreement with utility ComEd, in which the company admitted to a bribery scheme involving several individuals and agreed to pay the government a $200 million fine. Madigan was labeled “Public Official A” in the ComEd document as the clear target of the federal corruption probe.
In Wednesday's news conference announcing the indictment of Madigan on racketeering and other charges, prosecutors alleged Madigan's political operation was a criminal enterprise that sought to keep the former speaker in power and financially benefit himself and his associates.
In announcing the indictment against Madigan Wednesday, Lausch said he will continue to be on the job as long as Biden allows.
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