Ex-IL House Speaker Madigan Resigns

Illinois state Rep. Michael Madigan has announced that he is resigning his seat in the Legislature.

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The Chicago Democrat virtually set Illinois’ political agenda as House speaker before he was ousted from that job last month. The 78-year-old Madigan was elected speaker in 1983 and served 36 of the next 38 years at the helm.

He was tarnished by a federal investigation of Statehouse bribery announced last summer that implicated him.

He has not been charged with wrongdoing and maintains his innocence. But he lost his bid for a 19th term as speaker to Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
His resignation takes effect at the end of the month.