Chambana Sun

State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) is skeptical of what he thinks could come from a bipartisan Special House committee recently convened to look into the conduct of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“I think the Democrats want to string this out as long as they can so they don’t have to go on record as supporting this corrupt administration,” Caulkins told the Chambana Sun. “They’re caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to decide rather to do the right thing and hold Madigan accountable or the political thing and string this out and simply not do the work.”

The state’s longest-tenured lawmaker, Madigan now finds himself at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a purported pay-for-play scheme in which all perks where allegedly steered to his coffers in exchange for his support on pending legislation.

Caulkins doesn’t see the climate now gripping Springfield changing anytime soon.

“I expect this to drag on until after the election and we’ll see what happens after that,” he said. “I hope the people of Illinois see this for what it is, which is nothing more than a shining example of the corruption that has devastated this state for decades.”

Caulkins argues it’s not just happenstance that even Gov. J.B. Pritzker has conceded Madigan has plenty of explaining to do.

“The question now is if Democratic lawmakers have the moral courage to get him to come forward and give an accounting,” he said. “I think they’re holding on in hopes of getting though the election with him pumping more money into House races that are clearly tainted because they don’t want to have the conversation they need to.”

In the end, Caulkins said the only way things will truly change in Springfield is once voters take matters into their own hands.

“Until voters have truly had enough, it will be business as usual,” he said.