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Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office has called the Chicago Tribune on “political matters” at the state Capitol and elsewhere, citing highly dubious grounds that such discussions could be unethical. He issued an order to the 78-member Democratic supermajority in the House of Representatives instructing them not to talk to the paper’s reporters. violation.
A veteran reporter for a former state legislator called the order a “stupid” and “stupid” attempt to stifle legitimate reporting, and the president of the state Press Association said it would limit political conversations between reporters and lawmakers. is a legally “constitutionally protected” freedom. speech.
The order comes after Tribune reporter Jeremy Goner told Speaker’s leadership about tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that Welch’s team made Tuesday to support Michael Crawford’s candidacy for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. The order was issued on Thursday after the team was clearly irritated by questions it asked. Major. Mr. Crawford was a successful primary challenger to Mary Flowers of Chicago, the longest-serving Democratic state representative in the Black House, with Mr. Welch’s support.
In a memo distributed in a mass email to House Democrats Thursday afternoon, lawmakers said they should not answer Mr. Goner’s questions and should not “call him back to discuss political issues.” Or, you should not give out your phone number.” It’s also ethically questionable. ”
The memo warned Goner was asking “overtly political” questions and said it was “inappropriate to discuss campaign-related issues on Capitol grounds.”
The memo was signed by Carla Jones, who identified herself as the director of communications in the Office of Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch.
When contacted by Goner about the memo, Jaclyn Driscoll, a former statehouse reporter who became Welch’s chief press secretary in April 2021, spoke exclusively to Black lawmakers about Welch’s efforts to defeat Flowers. He unfairly accused Mr. Goner of asking the question. Mr. Goerner told Mr. Driscoll that she was wrong and that she had spoken to various members of Congress who had donated campaign funds to Flowers’ opponents, regardless of their racial or ethnic background. Mr. Welch is the state’s first Black House chair.
Contacted by another Tribune reporter, Driscoll said the memo represented “longstanding” policy. Informed that no such policy has existed in the state Legislature for at least the past 40 years, she asked House Democratic general counsel to cite the statute barring political discussion by members inside and outside the Capitol. asked to submit.
Illinois law has no such legal prohibition and, if it did, it would likely violate First Amendment free speech protections, so nothing was enacted. .
The only statutory anti-campaign provision prohibits members from giving or receiving campaign contributions inside the Capitol, and in Springfield and Sangamon County, home to the Illinois State Capitol, members of Congress and legislative candidates Persons are prohibited from collecting campaign funds during the session.
On Friday, Driscoll issued a statement to the Tribune calling the memo “overly sensitive and not prepared or reviewed by the House Ethics Officer.” He also said that in a meeting with lawmakers Friday morning, the speaker’s office “made it clear to members that there is nothing to prevent them from answering questions from reporters.”
Asked for a written explanation, Mr. Driscoll did not provide any. She also declined to identify the person who compiled the original memo, although she said Mr. Welch was not involved.
“We’re not going to throw our staff under the bus,” she said.
She also did not apologize to Goner or the media for the contents of the memo or for not trusting members of the Democratic caucus to make their own decisions.
When asked about issuing an apology, Driscoll said after a long pause: “I don’t see how this is helpful.”
“We are disappointed in Chairman Welch and his office,” Tribune Editor-in-Chief Mitch Pugh said.
“Clearly, this erroneous memo was an attempt to suppress a reporter’s constitutional right to do his job,” Pugh said. “We will continue to support journalists’ ability to ask tough questions of elected officials, no matter the circumstances. We want our readers and Speaker Welch’s voters to expect nothing less. I’m sure there isn’t.”
Virtually everything that happens in state capitols is rooted in politics.
There are separate Democratic and Republican seats on opposite sides of the House and Senate floors. The four partisan caucuses in both chambers are meeting behind closed doors to develop legislative plans. And the federal census was followed by the creation of gerrymandered district maps, which political parties have used to gain or maintain power for decades.
Perhaps the least politicized part of the state Legislature is the awarding of congressional license plates — senators are awarded by district number and House members by seniority.
Don Craven, president and general counsel of the Illinois Press Association, said he knows there are “no limits to members’ ability to debate election results, even in the Capitol.”
“Discussing election results is a constitutionally protected activity and can be done anywhere,” Craven said.
Charles Wheeler, a former longtime statehouse reporter, called the policies outlined in the memo “absolutely stupid,” and said he had spent at least half, if not more, of his quarter-century in the Capitol. Time was asking questions like the following, he recalled. Politics.
“From a public relations perspective, this is just so stupid,” said Wheeler, former director of the public affairs reporting program and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “It’s hard to believe that legislative leaders would give one of their staff members the authority to instruct members not to talk to reporters.”
Mr. Wheeler also said such an order was unlikely to succeed because independently elected members of Congress would not heed it, but some people interviewed by Mr. Goner on Thursday said She refused to speak to him on Capitol Hill, saying she didn’t want to discuss anything election-related.
Mr. Welch’s memo to members of Congress came after the speaker, Democratic leadership and about a dozen unions provided funding for Mr. Crawford’s campaign against Flowers. State campaign records show more than a dozen House Democrats contributed to Crawford’s campaign, including top Democratic caucus leaders.
State Rep. Kelly Burke’s campaign donated $10,000 to Crawford because Welch “asked her to donate,” Burke said.
“I’m part of his leadership team,” said Burke, a Democrat from Evergreen Park who is an assistant House majority leader. “When a speaker needs my help, I’m happy to help.”
Records show that none of the large donations Mr. Crawford has raised, more than $1.6 million, came from within the 31st Congressional District he would represent if he wins the November general election.
In an interview with the Tribune on Friday, Flowers said he felt like Welch was targeting him for speaking out against his leadership at times, and that Welch supports Crawford. Mr. Crawford said that allowed him not to be forced to answer tough questions about what kind of lawmaker he would be.
“He didn’t have to show his hands much and now they’re exposed. But the damage has been done to me and my constituents,” she said of Welch.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Crawford did not respond to a request for comment. Crawford’s campaign repeatedly declined requests for comment from the Tribune during the campaign and after his victory.
State Rep. Aaron Ortiz, another House Majority Leader aide, said his campaign’s $10,000 donation to Mr. Crawford was a “united effort” among Democrats. The Chicago Democrat also said some of Flowers’ comments were disrespectful.
“As a leadership team, we all signed a pledge to abide by the rules of respect, engagement, and listening,” Ortiz said. “Unfortunately, it was like she threw it out her window.”
Flowers was ousted from Democratic Party leadership last year for repeated inappropriate behavior, including remarking that Democratic Party staffers looked like Adolf Hitler. She acknowledged making the comment, but she said it was just one in a series of disagreements with Mr. Welch.
“They said I was being mean,” Flowers said of some state lawmakers who raised money against her. “You know, I’m — yeah. I’m a little older than you, and I’ve seen a little more life. I’m not an angry black woman, but I get angry when I see injustice being done. and I have seen more injustice done than they.”
Delmarie Cobb, a longtime political consultant, worked on Flowers’ campaign in its final weeks. She said the challenge to Flowers sends a worrying message to other members of Congress, especially Black women.
“It sends the message, ‘If I don’t like you, you’re next,’ or ‘I can make you my first choice,'” Cobb says.
Flowers, a nearly 40-year veteran of the Legislature who was first elected when Harold Washington was mayor of Chicago, has been a leader in providing services for black mothers, infants and children, including those in state custody. He said it has been a priority for many years.
On Friday, Flowers said her only regret was not being able to continue serving “my extended family,” the community.
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