SPRINGFIELD - Governor JB Pritzker is in a box when it comes to House Speaker Michael Madigan. Of course, it’s a box of his own making.
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Having long ago tied his political fortunes to Madigan, and facing his own legal problems related to possible property tax fraud, Pritzker has done all he can to avoid calling on Madigan to step down as speaker and Democratic Party chairman. As Democrats from across the state stepped forward to call for Madigan’s resignation, Pritzker declined to join the bandwagon and found a one-liner that seemed to hold Illinois reporters at bay for weeks: “Madigan should answer questions.”
But Pritzker didn’t anticipate that Republicans in Springfield would trigger a process where Madigan could be subpoenaed to do exactly what Pritzker had demanded. Now that Madigan has refused to voluntarily appear before a House investigative committee, the question before all Illinois Democrats is whether Madigan should be subpoenaed to testify.
Pritzker this week said Madigan should testify, but did not weigh in on the obvious follow-up question: will he call on Democrats to vote to compel that testimony?
If Pritzker calls on the committee chairman, Rep. Chris Welch, to put the question of a subpoena to a vote – and urges Democrats on the committee to support that vote – the governor will be double-crossing his political godfather and could suffer Madigan’s wrath. If Pritzker declines to weigh in on the issue of the subpoena, he makes clear to Illinois voters that he stands with Madigan – something that will haunt him politically for months to come.
Pritzker, indeed, is in a box of his own making. We don’t feel sorry for him. But we sure hope he gets asked his view on whether Democrats on the investigative committee should vote to subpoena Madigan – and what Pritzker is prepared to do about Madigan if those Democrats refuse.
