Following new allegations about sexual harassment and abusive behavior within the Democratic Party of Illinois, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy released a statement.
She said, "The slow and steady drip of accusations and dismissals has turned into an endless cycle of lather, rinse, repeat, highlighting the culture of harassment in the legislature and political campaigns.
"I am calling for an independent investigation into this culture that appears to pervade the organizations led by Speaker Madigan. Because of the unique interconnectedness of his Capitol and political operations, the investigation must not be hampered by organizational boundaries. The investigator(s) should not be Democratic elected officials, individuals, or firms with pre-existing ties to the Speaker and should have demonstrated experience with investigations of this nature.
"We must get to the bottom of this with confidence in the independence of the investigator. We need to force the very real culture change required to truly show that #timesup."
Media outlets reported that Madigan, the Illinois House speaker, recently removed a second high-ranking operative (Shaw Decremer) from his political team due to inappropriate behavior. Decremer's departure followed that of aide Kevin Quinn over allegations of sexual harassment.