Illinois nurtured the nation’s greatest president in Abraham Lincoln. It is the birthplace of iconic Republican President Ronald Reagan and the state where Democrat Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, developed his political chops. But Illinois is far better known for a more notorious political legacy: constant and persistent corruption.
Four of its last 11 governors went to prison. Chicago, its largest city, is home to sweeping federal sting operations that put busloads of judges , aldermen , state lawmakers and other officials behind bars . Even the state auditor — Illinois government’s financial watchdog — was once caught looting and squandering $2.
5 million in public funds. One secretary of state famously amassed more than $750,000, including a shoebox stuffed with cash, that was found stashed in a hotel room after his death. The largest municipal fraud in U.
S. history is credited to a small-town treasurer in Illinois who embezzled $54 million. It is a list that goes on and on , with no end in sight.
This fall, former House Speaker Michael Madigan — long the state’s most powerful politician — faces trial on racketeering and bribery charges. And the dean of the Chicago City Council, Ed Burke, is due to report to prison for shaking down business owners and developers. Undoubtedly corruption isn’t unique to just Illinois or Chicago.
But the depth of it, and its consistency, are. As Democrats this past week wrapped up their national presidenti.