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* Charles Selle at the Lake County News-Sun…
As thousands of Illinoisans continue to exit the state in an exodus of biblical proportions, one of the reasons cited for leaving, usually after high taxes, is corruption.
The latest effort to root out that corruption, an ongoing federal probe, allegedly involves Lake County’s longtime state senator, Terry Link.
With Democrat Link identified as a friendly asset for federal investigators, according to Chicago Tribune stories earlier this week, it is disheartening, to say the least. It also adds to the state’s continuing reputation as a hornet’s nest of corrupt pols. […]
And why might Link wear the FBI “wire” to record state Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago, one of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s assistant majority leaders? Allegedly, according to the Tribune, because he had hopes of getting a reduced sentence after he filed false income tax returns.
* Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) today…
In an effort to begin restoring public confidence, Senator Terry Link needs to step down immediately from his position on the Legislative Ethics Commission while this widespread federal investigation continues.
Link has denied being the mole. Then again, federal informants generally have to swear never to reveal that they’re informants.
* Fair point in comments…
It seems strange that the GOP would want someone removed from the Ethics Committee because they are allegedly helping the FBI.
* The Question: Should Sen. Link resign from the Senate, step down from the Legislative Ethics Commission or stay right where he is? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:27 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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Assuming it’s true that he’s a serious enough tax cheat that he needs to wear a wire to reduce his sentence, he should go. Besides, lying about being a snitch doesn’t help his reputation.
Comment by anon2 Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:31 pm
Stay where he is. If he says he isn’t the CW, might as well wait until he is proven a liar.
At this point this whole thing is so strange who knows what is what.
Comment by OneMan Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:31 pm
This seems to be a real Sauer point for the Republicans, but no, whispers about a federal cooperating witness does not make grounds for removal.
Comment by DIstant watcher Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:36 pm
He shouldn’t go anywhere at this point. There is no known investigation of him or charges against him. Yeah, there’s a good chance he is the person that wore the wire, and he was wearing a wire because he did something illegal, but until the feds or he say so, he shouldn’t move.
Comment by Montrose Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:38 pm
The push for removal is (or at least should be) because of the false tax return, not because he might be helping the FBI.
Comment by thechampaignlife Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:39 pm
He has more work to do. He has 20 plus years under the GARS. He needs to hold out and work off (the IRS charges) with the feds to keep his pension from being revoked.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:40 pm
So this makes the Senate 3 and the House 1. Who do they think they are? The Chicago City Council?
Comment by Downstate Illinois Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:41 pm
Stay where he is. First, no one knows for sure he wore a wire. Second, that whole tax fraud thing is two lines on a complaint. There haven’t been any tax evasion charges brought so we really don’t know the nature of those charges. If charges are ever brought up, then we would know who CW is and if the charges are serious enough to warrant removal from the GA.
Comment by A Jack Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:42 pm
Helping root out unethical behavior because you got caught first is not reason to stay on the panel. If you filed false returns, you should be off regardless of a wire. I can’t believe the amount of support he is getting in the poll.
Comment by Shemp Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:45 pm
Right now, today? He should stay where he is. If/when it becomes official, even if only in a statement or an indictment for the tax stuff, that he’s the informant and cheated on his taxes while in office, he should resign/be removed.
Comment by Perrid Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:46 pm
He’s not even been charged with anything, right? He shouldn’t go anywhere.
Comment by Cheryl44 Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:46 pm
I voted resign from senate because I don’t buy his denials.
If he’s not CW1, why hasn’t he demand a clarifying statement from the feds and why hasn’t he sued the Trib and Sun-Times for naming him?
Comment by porky Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:47 pm
Voted for stay where he is. Two reasons, first is he isn’t charged, and second, everyone around him will be presumed to strongly behave like they are supposed to.
Comment by Louis G Atsaves Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:48 pm
If it’s true he filed false tax returns, he should step down from the ethics committee. He knows if it’s true. If not, he should stay where he is until they force him out.
Comment by NoGifts Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:48 pm
=== being a snitch ===
One man’s Snitch is another man’s Whistleblower, but I see your true colors shining through.
We don’t know for a fact that it is Link and no one has made that claim on record. The worst case scenerio is that the Senator is assisting the FBI, and maybe he lied on his taxes but unlike some folks he was not able to write a check to just pay it all bac with an apology letter.
On the other hand the fact that everyone suspects Link is CW means we have zero worry of any illegal hanky-panky regarding the gaming bill, correct? He is like a giant Scarecrow. Ditto for the Ethics Commission and every other body he serves in.
Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:59 pm
He can’t step down, it would undermine the Feds
Comment by Rabid Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 12:59 pm
=exodus of biblical proportions=
Sheesh, hyperbole much?
Comment by Anon 1:00 Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:00 pm
He should stay where he is. At this point we have a “source” providing information to two newspapers. The information could very well be accurate but we don’t know and the threshold has to be a bit higher than that.
Comment by Pundent Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:00 pm
Did Demmer offer WHY? Saw his statement. Based on assumptions?
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:01 pm
I think he should resign the same day that Individual 1 resigns.
Seriously, there are no charges, nothing at this point to provide a reason for resignation. If anything official, or in the nature of actual evidence, is forthcoming, that would be a different story.
Comment by JoanP Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:02 pm
he says it’s not him. so, nothing to see here.
Comment by Amalia Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:06 pm
I like Terry. I want to believe this isn’t true. But with everything going on if he stays on the LEC, then it causes more people to doubt the LIG & LEC process.
The LEC is a non paid position (if I recall correctly) and I’m sure he doesn’t find the position to be a rewarding position. I mean who really enjoys having someone’s fate in their hands? That position is a headache.
Stepping down from that position - he can say I am stepping down bc I do not want to taint the process. There are rumors that have been printed by the media coming from unnamed sources and I respect the work of my colleagues on the ethics commission and I do not want these rumors to impede the integrity of the LEC.
That being said. If Link were to step down from the LEC, then his replacement cannot be one that has an axe to grind. That person would need to be one that is opened minded and not one looking for a media soundbite.
Terry, my friend, I wish you all the best and hope this is cleared up soon. You always treated me with respect and I enjoyed our conversations in passing under the dome.
Comment by {Sigh} Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:08 pm
Stay. He is not going to resign right now without being charged so the question is moot. However I wish that people defending him would express a little more interest in who the “real” wire wearer is if it is not Link. At the very least we know for sure that a senator wore a wire and played along to get Arroyo.
Comment by Responsa Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:09 pm
I vote for whichever one the feds have selected on his behalf.
Comment by Roads Scholar Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:10 pm
From what we know today, he should stay right where he is. But Sen. Links knows if he is guilty or not and it is his choice whether or not to resign, so obviously he knows best what he should do. I hope he makes the right choice.
Comment by AlfondoGonz Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:17 pm
Stay and keep recording.
Comment by Back to the Future Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:17 pm
===This seems to be a real Sauer point for the Republicans, but no, whispers about a federal cooperating witness does not make grounds for removal.===
HGOP called for Sauer’s resignation the same day. If I remember right Sauer resigned with-in 24 hours or soon after that. So, maybe this should be the playbook for all these incidents.
Comment by Nagidam Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:19 pm
If he filed false returns and committed some other crime to be named later (the first thing they got him for) the Yes. He should be out of leadership immediately. And the Governor might want to think about finding a new Party Chairwoman for the third largest county in the state
Comment by Probably Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:20 pm
Stay where he is….today. Hasn’t been charged.
Comment by Bogey Golfer Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:23 pm
My Wife and I are discussing leaving the State due to the lack of trust we have in our Government.
Let him or whomever is wear the wire. Catch as many as you can, heck maybe we should require all of them to wear body cams.
We all know this goes very deep into the ranks of Elected Officials and State Employees. It’s going to take decades to change this culture.
In the mean time how long do we continue to wait rather than leave?
Comment by RH Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:26 pm
If he wears a wire, keep him in place. If he has not worn a wire, no reason to replace him.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:29 pm
Speculation and innuendo are not a foundation to ask him to do anything.
Comment by Bigtwich Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:30 pm
Resign,
If voting a particular way gets him a conversation he can use to further reduce his sentence, does his vote his district or his prison time? I don’t think I would want him voting on anything if I were in his leadership.
Comment by the Patriot Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:33 pm
He filed false taxes. Resign.
Comment by Slow News Day? Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:40 pm
Demmer assumes it’s Link.
Fine. Let’s run with that assumption.
Is it a bad thing for the FBI to have a seat on the Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission?
Why would Demmer be so gung-ho to make sure that ends?
Paging Rep. McSweeney with conspiracies about HGOP leadership.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:44 pm
===As thousands of Illinoisans continue to exit the state in an exodus of biblical proportions===
Dude, sober up before writing.
Stay right where he is, because he hasn’t been charged with anything and screw Charles Selle at the Lake County News-Sun. Sheesh.
Comment by Nick Name Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:46 pm
=But Sen. Links knows if he is guilty or not and it is his choice whether or not to resign, so obviously he knows best what he should do. I hope he makes the right choice.=
Let’s assume for a second that it is Link. If that’s the case, it might not be his choice at all - the Feds may be dictating what he does and when he does it as it relates to his legislative position and appointments.
Staying with this thread, if it is Link and he still hasn’t been charged with the original offense (pre-IRS) or the tax fraud, then it’s clear the Feds still might think he could be of use to them. This is clearly a very wide-ranging investigation with many numerous connected and unconnected threads.
All that said, if it is Link, for all intents and purposes he’s been burned as an informant. Maybe they’re just waiting to take someone else down before exposing him, but it’s probably best to put him out of his misery sooner than later if that’s the case.
To the question as it was put: no reason for him to go anywhere until the Feds go on the record saying it’s him
Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:49 pm
If I read this right, because of an agreement with the Feds, he may be “forced” to lie about being an informant to his district and everyone else in Illinois. And, this is because (allegedly) he committed fraud on his taxes.
Lot of ifs.
If these claims are true, he should resign. If they aren’t, he has every reason to stay. If they turn out to be true later, we’ve all been cheated yet again. If he stays and we find out he wore the wire and committed tax fraud, we’re dupes.
Comment by A guy Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:55 pm
- RH - Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:26 pm:
==…wear body cams…”==
ROTFL
Comment by Say It aint so Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 1:55 pm
I’ll be damned if I let the Tribune or Sun Times be the arbiter of who stays or goes. And right now, we only have their reporting and no corroboration from the Feds. Therefore, status quo for now.
Comment by Boomerang Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:01 pm
Voted: Stay Right Where He Is
Explanation:
1. No Confirmation of wrong doing
2. Wait for the Feds to tell him what to do if there is confirmation
3. Who would replace him? Between Arroyo, Sandoval, Exelon, Ghost Payrolling, Red Light Cameras, and a wire worn in the Capitol since 2016 - there are possibly many more Senators involved.
Comment by Former Candidate on the Ballot Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:02 pm
Voted step down from the LEC. He can say something along the lines of, “While I am not the senator in question, I understand the Ethics Commission needs to be without even the slightest connection to this debacle. Therefore I am stepping down…”
Comment by OutOfState Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:09 pm
Step off the Legislative Ethics Comm. The Commission and members need to have integrity of the appearance therein, his presence there calls that into question. The other stuff will sort itself out over time.
Comment by NorthsideNoMore Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:10 pm
== One man’s Snitch is another man’s Whistleblower, but I see your true colors shining through.==
Assuming he didn’t wear the wire voluntarily, can you be a whistleblower if your condition of cooperation was saving yourself? I think that’s an interesting test of perspective.
Voted stay right where he is. There’s no actual charges.
Comment by Randomly Selected Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:26 pm
Legislative Ethics Comm….ha, ha, ha,…oh? you’re serious?…no…nevermind
Comment by PlsSenSorMe Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:28 pm
Stay where he is. As others have already said, All there is right now are unsupported media allegations. And we know how accurate those can be.
Comment by SOIL M Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:28 pm
If I understand the Tribune the Senator was cooperating with the Feds before he filed a fraudulent tax return and when this was discovered he was dismissed. So why was he cooperating before 2016? Is there more?
Comment by Professor Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:32 pm
I come at it exactly like this;
The bar now is… you get indicted, you best resign… from the House.
The Senate, as a body, has an indicted senator, a senator whose office was raided, and a possible CW.
They need to see to their own, as Mr. Demmer tries to seem thoughtful,
Mr. Demmer’s continued thoughtlessness makes the mocking a breeze.
It would behoove Mr. Link to be off the committee, but precedent in that chamber makes even that perilous.
Voted “off the committee”, but President Cullerton makes my vote… seem less too.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:35 pm
Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” Just because the Tribune says something doesn’t mean it is true. Link said it is not true. Maybe he is lying, but who knows. Until the FBI tells us who wore the wire, all these people demanding he step down should shut up and do their jobs.
I voted he should stay put.
Comment by Nanker Phelge Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 2:50 pm
Terry Link has not categorically denied these charges. At least as far as I’ve seen. If he has made such a denial, it should probably be hyperlinked. Instead, I’ll I’ve seen and heard and answers designed to deflect.
I called his official office and the woman who answered informed me that Link has not made an official statement in response to these allegations.
Link also serves at the head of the Lake County Democrstic Party.
Comment by Philippe M Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:11 pm
===If he has made such a denial, it should probably be hyperlinked===
Or you could just search my blog. I posted his first denial days ago.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:16 pm
Stay. I still have popcorn left and this story is much juicier with him.
And Rich, I know you are not much of an REO fan but when you sign our could we hear Riding the Storm Out for this tumultuous week?
Comment by R A T Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:36 pm
Do not believe that he wore a wire out of the kindness of his heart, that he was forced to do so to save himself from prosecution. If that is the case then he needs to resign.
Comment by Arock Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:47 pm
Your incessant obsession with Rep. Demmer boarders on weird. Spare me the diatribe as everyone here has heard it countless times.
He is MUCH closer to the Republican Party that you repeatedly suggest you want than the Eastern Bloc crowd, the Dan Proft bottom feeders, et. al.
Rep. Greg Harris has established a rapport and trust with Rep. Demmer that allows adult discussions and negotiations to happen.
Give it a rest.
Comment by Get Real Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:58 pm
The last post directed to Oswego Willy
Comment by Get Real Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 3:59 pm
=== He is MUCH closer to the Republican Party that you repeatedly suggest you want than the Eastern Bloc crowd, the Dan Proft bottom feeders, et. al.===
“He is MUCH closer to the Raunerite Party, who wholly aided and abetted Bruce Rauner for a whole General Assembly, and thinks ignoring his role there is the correct way to build a party… a party now that allowed Raunerism to begat the Eastern Bloc crowd, the Dan Proft bottom feeders, et. al.
Mr. Demmer isn’t a help. Mr. Demmer was the weak that allowed Raunerism.
If Mr. Demmer wants to eat and own that, then let’s talk.
Otherwise, these phony “they’re better than” enablers only reinforce the regional minority party thinking allowing the Magnificent 7 hide their Hateful Eight ways.
With respect.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 4:04 pm
Rich Miller, I did see your posts a last couple of days. You were awesome to post the reporter’s recording of Link’s comments, I think it was two or three days ago. In it, he pushed back on the reporter demanding ’show me your source’ and says ‘I’m not going to keep answering these same questions’……neither of those are denials.
Are you referring to something he said earlier than that? If not, it would be amazing if you would link or direct me to where Link denies the charges.
I think a clear and categorical denial or failure to do so is incredibly relevant concerning whether he should resign.
Comment by Philippe M Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 4:10 pm
Rich, here is your post I am referring to: I watched video, listed to the recording and read what you wrote. There is no denial from Link, just deflection.
https://capitolfax.com/2019/10/29/sen-link-im-not-going-to-continually-answer-this-every-day-of-my-life/
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 4:15 pm
Link hasn’t been charged with anything and the FBI are not confirming his participation or possible tax return violations. Stay.
Comment by Wensicia Friday, Nov 1, 19 @ 4:17 pm