Harry Benton

Right.

So this investigation into the allegations against former Plainfield State Rep Harry Benton, that's what Mr. McCuskey, the current LIG, was looking into.

McCuskey determined that Benton did commit sexual harassment in violation of state law.

But after McCuskey's report came out, one of the complainants said, actually complained against McCuskey himself, saying that he didn't record their conversation, didn't take any notes during their interview, and got a number of facts wrong in his final report.

So what happened here with Mike McCuskey, who is the outgoing LIG is he really just seemed to lose the trust of members of the General Assembly, as well as people who were involved in investigations that he was conducting.

There's been an increasing number of reports about various ways that the LIG has handled these investigations, making some of his own comments that people involved deemed unprofessional towards uh possible victims of sexual harassment here in the general assembly um going on another springfield radio show talking about these investigations openly breaching um you know trust between a confidential witness to these cases you know telling other people involved who these witnesses are when you know he's not supposed to share those names um so it's kind of just this snowballing effect that really came out of this harry benton situation where The LIG found that Harry Benton engaged in inappropriate workplace conduct, but it also revealed that the LIG's process was flawed and he himself was facing questions about his own professional conduct and how he handles these investigations.

Lawmakers grew increasingly frustrated with it and I think it snowballed to the point of putting pressure on Mike McCuskey to submit his resignation.

So Harry Benton is a former state lawmaker, a former House member who resigned under this scrutiny.

Charlie, the thing that gets me about this is having covered these investigations in the past, they are notoriously closed door.

I mean, it's hard to get information out of the... legislative inspector general or even other inspectors general.

But the other percent will go on cheating and stealing and being as crooked as they always were.

It'll be interesting to see how swiftly the vacancy is filled and whether there'll be any true ethics reform that comes out of it.

Uh, and he just has not comported himself in a good way.

And so h- it c- his resignation announcement came just days after a damning Chicago Tribune report about a lobbyist he interviewed as part of the investigation into former Rep Harry Benton.

The lobbyist sent a letter to the General Assembly's four caucus leaders saying McCuskey, "Violated the confidence of other victims and me."

Well, good.

It's kind of chaotic there in Springfield, seems like, with this Speaker Welsh.

And these sexual harassment allegations and these – the Harry Benton guy resigning and then this other – it's a non-sexual harassment scandal, but there's another scandal having to do with bribery.

And then you have Amy-Marie Briel thrown into the mix too.

But speaking specifically to people who live in the 76th district, talking about Ottawa, talking about DeKalb, talking about LaSalle, Peru.