Quitting time? Pritzker says embattled state Sens. Emil Jones III, Michael Hastings ‘must resign from their offices’ – By Tina Sfondeles (Chicago Sun-Times) / Sept 22, 2022
Jones, who is facing federal bribery charges, and Hastings, accused of abuse by his estranged wife, have stepped down from Senate leadership posts, but Pritzker said that’s not enough: “Resigning only their leadership roles falls short of what the public should expect.”
A day after state Sen. Emil Jones III announced his resignation from leadership and committee chair positions amid federal bribery charges, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday the South Side Democrat — and another state senator facing accusations he abused women — should formally resign from the Illinois Senate.
Jones was hit with federal bribery charges for allegedly lying to the FBI about whether he’d agreed to protect the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC in the Illinois General Assembly. He also allegedly agreed to protect SafeSpeed from legislation in exchange for $5,000 and a job for an unnamed associate, federal prosecutors said.
And WBEZ has reported Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, faces serious personal accusations from his estranged wife, including police records that state he put her in a headlock and repeatedly slammed her into a door. Hastings has denied the accusations.
An environmental lobbyist has also described being bullied by the senator in professional interactions. The state also fought a lawsuit filed by Hastings’ former chief of staff that included accusations of racial and gender discrimination against the Democratic lawmaker.
