President Biden sparked outcries from lawmakers in Illinois on both sides of the aisle after firing a prosecutor overseeing Democrats’ corrupt businesses in the state.
Democratic senators, GOP House lawmakers and the Republican Party of Illinois all condemn the move to fire U.S. Attorney John Lausch in Chicago.
U.S. attorneys are appointed by presidents and usually ask new presidents to resign from almost everyone at the beginning of a new government, but Lausch has barely had dual support. When President Trump appointed Lausch at the time, the attorney had the support of both Illinois Democratic senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
Durbin and Duckworth issued a joint statement saying they had not been fired with Lausch and urged the government not to terminate him immediately.
The statement reads:
“While agreeing with the Biden administration’s criminal justice agenda, we are disappointed with the decision to terminate U.S. Attorney Lausch without consulting us. In 2017, our nonpartisan screening committee endorsed Mr. Lausch in this position, and the Senate unanimously confirmed him.
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“While agreeing with the Biden administration’s criminal justice agenda, we are disappointed with the decision to terminate U.S. Attorney Lausch without consulting us. In 2017, our nonpartisan screening committee endorsed Mr. Lausch in this position and the Senate unanimously confirmed him, ”they wrote.
“Although the president has the right to remove U.S. attorneys, there are precedents for U.S. attorneys in the Northern District of Illinois to continue to conduct sensitive investigations. We believe Mr. Lausch should be allowed to continue in his position. to go until his successor is confirmed by the Senate, and we call on the Biden government to allow him to do so, ” they wrote, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Four Illinois House Republicans, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis, Darin LaHood and Mary Miller, issued a statement saying it was ‘reckless and irresponsible’ to fire Lausch until his successor is confirmed. “There is precedent for allowing a U.S. attorney to stay until successors are confirmed, and we believe both should be allowed to do so,” Republicans said.
Lausch and all but one other U.S. attorney appointed by Trump who has not yet left office were asked to resign Tuesday, Feb. 28, in a call with Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson.
The new chairman of the Republican Party, Illinois, Don Tracy, accused Biden of putting politics above justice.
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“Joe Biden is more concerned with scoring with Trump than standing up for the people of Illinois who desperately want a government that works for them – not for politicians. If Mike Madigan has no consequences in “Facing the corruption of his party, he can now thank Joe. Pray for protection,” Tracy said.
According to the Sun-Times, he applauded Lausch for tying the corrupt Democratic machine one by one.
Lausch is overseeing a public corruption investigation into ComEd, after federal prosecutors said last year that the utility had admitted to providing work or contracts “to various employees of a high-ranking Illinois state official.” Bribery was charged against ComEd and four members of the inner circle of then-Illinois Speaker Mike Madigan. Madigan, ousted as speaker, remains chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Madigan has been involved in the ComEd case, but he has not yet been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing.
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Other elected officials charged while Lausch served as Chicago’s chief prosecutor include Thomas Cullerton, former Senator Terry Link, former Senator Martin Sandoval, former State Representative Luis Arroyo, former Cook Commissioner Jeff Tobolski and Mayor of Crestwood, Louis Presta.