Following the resignation of former State Representative Harry Benton, the Chicago Tribune is reporting a young female staffer came to Speaker Chris Welch’s office in 2023 to report harassment allegations against Benton. According to the Tribune, the Speaker’s office slow-walked the case and failed to reprimand former Rep. Benton. Another cover-up for Speaker Welch, following a playbook that is all too familiar.
In April of this year, when asked whether former State Representative Harry Benton should resign, Speaker Welch said, “We also have to talk about victims. We’re gonna respect victims.”
His remarks are a complete contradiction from his actions in 2023.
Key excerpts from the Chicago Tribune story:
“That’s when a young female Benton staffer — one of his first hires whose interactions with the lawmaker were part of the investigation — outlined a lengthy series of harassment allegations, many of a sexual nature, to Welch’s office.”
“Back then, the speaker’s office slow-walked the case after the woman reported the harassment allegations to the speaker’s then-chief of staff in April 2023, the Tribune found.”
“Benton wasn’t interviewed by the speaker’s top staff until three months later, in July 2023, according to calendar records obtained by the Tribune. That was after the woman had already quit her job, saying she feared for her mental health. According to the former staffer, Benton was not disciplined at the time.”
While the Legislative Inspector General report has not been made public yet, victims did come forward to the Chicago Tribune (July 17th). They reported:
Welch kept the harassment under wraps for 3 years
- A bombshell report that a woman victimized by Benton said Welch made her uncomfortable when he asked her to switch to a more secure text platform and to meet him in a bar. He also had sent her heart-eyed emojis
- And if this didn’t go far enough, the Tribune found out that: “Welch himself responded to social media posts by the former Benton staffer — who had previously interned in the speaker’s office — in ways she told the Tribune made her ‘uncomfortable.’”
For Speaker Welch, cover-ups and intimidation are all too familiar since the beginning of his time in office.
House Democrats continue to descend into complete disarray as Rep. Carol Ammons faces federal indictment, former Rep. Harry Benton resigned in disgrace, and now Speaker Welch’s office stands accused of attempting to cover up allegations against Benton in 2023.
State Rep. Mike Coffey said this:
“The pattern of corruption in Illinois has been going on for decades and can’t be ignored any longer. Harassment of any kind has no place in the Illinois General Assembly and should be met with swift action. Despite a growing list of ethics scandals, House Democrats refuse to take accountability. I’m committed to fighting for ethics reform in Illinois because our constituents deserve honest representation.”
Taking Action
While House Democrats continue down an unethical and dangerous path, House Republicans are stepping up to hold them accountable. House Republicans have introduced multiple ethics reform bills, including legislation to prohibit campaign funds from being used to pay for criminal defense related to misconduct (HB 1554) and to strengthen the authority of the Legislative Inspector General to investigate and root out corruption at the Capitol (HB 1382).
House Republicans have also filed a petition to create a Special Investigating Committee into the conduct that led to Rep. Carol Ammons’ indictment and have repeatedly called for the full Benton report to be released so Illinoisans can know exactly what happened.