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'Get out now': Harmon warns crooked Illinois politicians as indicted colleague attends inauguration ceremony
Sixteen new state senators were sworn in Wednesday, as Illinois's 103rd General Assembly convened for the first time. But it was a sharply worded warning in the Senate that drew the most attention.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Sixteen new state senators were sworn in Wednesday, as Illinois's 103rd General Assembly convened for the first time.
All 118 members of the Illinois House also took the oath of office Wednesday, but it was a sharply worded warning in the Senate that drew the most attention.
The Senate's 40-member Democratic super-majority includes Sen. Emil Jones, III, from the Far South Side, under federal indictment, accused of soliciting bribes from a red-light camera company. His lawyer's indicated he may enter a guilty plea.
When Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) spoke during Wednesday's ceremony, he quoted what a long-ago Chicago police superintendent once told a group of new officers.
"If you lack integrity, get out! Get out now, because you will be found out," Harmon said.
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While Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for Jones to resign, a spokesman for Harmon said his "get out now" message was not aimed at Jones in particular, but at any of the 59 state senators who can't honor their oath.
The new minority leader, Downers Grove Republican John Curran, said Illinois's problems would be better solved with a bipartisan approach.
"Illinois is better-served when our public policies are crafted from two, not one, participating party, Curran said. "Regardless of the letter next to our name, we are all here to do one thing: create a better Illinois."
At the most recent hearing on the bribery charges against him, Jones's lawyer indicated he is considering a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty.