UPDATE: Alleged Victim of Sexual Harassment by Democratic Aide, Says Speaker Madigan Tried to Cover it Up

Springfield, February 13, 1:30 pm – The political impact of a recent sexual harrassment allegation, that resulted in Speaker Madigan firing a long-time aide, is continuing to grow.

This morning, the woman who made the alligations held a press conference in Chicago.  A story on this by the Illinois News Network, is published below.

As this is being updated, Speaker Madigan intends to have a press conference on this issue between 2 – 2:30pm time frame, depending on how long the Democratic caucus meets.

BY ILLINOS NEWS NETWORK

Alaina Hampton, who accused a recently-fired staffer from Speaker Michael Madigan’s office of sexual harassment, speaks to the media in Chicago Feb. 13, 2018.
Credit: John Spataro | Illinois News Network

 

 

Former Madigan employee says House speaker covered up harassment complaint, retaliated against her
By Greg Bishop and Dan McCaleb | Illinois News Network
The woman who made sexual harassment allegations against a high-ranking member of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s political organization is accusing the speaker of covering it up. In response, Democratic candidate for governor Chris Kennedy said Madigan should resign.
Alaina Hampton was employed with Madigan’s campaign committee and the Democratic Party of Illinois. She was supervised by Kevin Quinn, who has worked with Madigan’s political committees and state government office for two decades. Hampton alleges Quinn harassed her throughout the 2016 election cycle through a series of text messages. Hampton says she asked Quinn multiple times to stop making unwanted advances over many months, but he did not.
The text messages, shared with the Chicago Tribune, “detail a relentless series of entreaties” from Quinn asking Hampton to go out with him, the Tribune reported. In one text, he called her “smoking hot.”
At a Tuesday news conference in Chicago, Hampton said she filed a complaint about Kevin Quinn’s harassment with 13th Ward Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn, Kevin’s brother and one of Madigan’s top political lieutenants, in February 2017, but nothing was done.
In a statement, Marty Quinn said, “I immediately met with Kevin and told him to stop all communication with Ms. Hampton. I advised him that such behavior would not be tolerated, and that any further communication with Ms. Hampton would result in immediate termination. He was remorseful and acknowledged his poor judgment.”
But Kevin Quinn remained employed.
“Distressed by the Democratic Party’s lack of response to her complaint, and the prospect of having to continue to work with Kevin Quinn, she quit her employment with Friends of Michael J. Madigan and the Illinois Democratic Party in April 2017,” a statement released by Hampton and her attorneys says.
Hampton said she feels there was a cover up because she sent Madigan a private letter to his home in November 2017 about the issue after not getting any relief through other channels. But no action was taken on Kevin Quinn’s employment until Monday, a day after Hampton told the Chicago Tribune her story.
“It doesn’t take three months to read those text messages and know that that behavior was inappropriate,” Hampton said at a Tuesday news conference in Chicago. “It would take all of 20 minutes to know that that was sexual harassment.”
Hampton said she felt Madigan and others covered up her complaint and Kevin Quinn would still be in his job if she hadn’t gone to the media. Madigan’s Monday news release announcing his termination was “pre-emeptive,” she said, because the longtime House speaker knew the Tribune story was about to be published.
“They thought that I was too loyal to ever come forward,” she said.
Hampton’s attorney, Shelly Kulwin, said Tuesday that action should have been taken the second Hampton’s allegations became clear.
“At a minimum there should be an investigation by an independent party, usually an outside law firm, to investigate whether there’s any truth,” Kulwin said. “That’s what every credible organization does.”
Before resigning, Hampton said she still had hopes of working with the Democratic Party, and in particular on the House seat being vacated by state Rep. Juliana Stratton, D-Chicago, who is running for lieutenant governor. But Hampton said she was told Democratic resources were not being sent to the seat.
“That same morning I had gotten a text message from a Democratic Party staffer that said a Democratic Party staffer was being sent to that race that very same day,” Hampton said. She said she felt she was being retaliated against for bringing her complaint forward.
Hampton also has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After an initial investigation, Hampton and her attorneys said they will seek to file a lawsuit against the Illinois Democratic Party and Friends of Mike Madigan, for whom Hampton worked.
Lorna Brett, former president of the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women, is now advocating on Hampton’s behalf.
“Madigan simultaneously fast tracked legislation to eradicate sexual harassment in Illinois politics and killed the political career of Alaina Hampton for reporting sexual harassment in his own organization,” Brett said in a news release.
Madigan and other lawmakers late last year scrambled to address other sexual harassment allegations made in the wake of the nationwide #MeToo movement, including the revelation that more than two dozen complaints went uninvestigated because the Legislative Inspector General position went unfilled for years.
In a statement released by Kennedy campaign staffer Rebecca Evans, the campaign said Quinn “definitely” should be fired and that Madigan also should resign, regardless when he learned of the allegations.
“If what Madigan is saying is true and he didn’t know about it until November, the question really is: when was the investigation?” the statement from Kennedy’s campaign says. “Did it begin immediately in November or did it just happen last week? And, if it started in November, why did this investigation take three months? He should resign, either way. Whether Madigan found out about it in February 2017 or November 2017, it all took too long. Women don’t have the luxury of waiting months and months for decisions like this. Instead they have to endure months and months of that behavior until something happens.”
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Statement from Speaker Madigan

SPRINGFIELD, February 12 –  House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Monday: “In November, a courageous woman made me aware that a high-ranking individual within my political operation had previously made unwanted advances and sent her inappropriate text messages.

I immediately consulted with my attorney, Heather Wier Vaught, and directed her to conduct a thorough investigation. Ms. Wier Vaught conducted numerous interviews, reviewed the evidence, and recently came to the conclusion that the individual engaged in inappropriate conduct and failed to exercise the professional judgment I expect of those affiliated with my political organizations and the Office of the Speaker.

As a result, long-time aide Kevin Quinn is no longer an employee of any of my political committees. Mr. Quinn has worked with my political offices for nearly 20 years. While this is the only allegation of such conduct, Mr. Quinn also recently pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Based on the culmination of events, Alderman Marty Quinn and I decided that Kevin should no longer be affiliated with the political organization. For the record, Kevin was previously an employee of my State office, and he will not be returning to that role.

 Further, Ms. Wier Vaught made several recommendations aimed at preventing inappropriate behavior and improving methods for reporting and responding to such allegations. My political committees are actively taking steps to implement those recommendations

On Tuesday, February 13, the Speaker’s Office relayed a message from Alderman Quinn, brother of Kevin Quinn.  The Alderman offered his review of events as they had come to his attention.

STATEMENT FROM ALDERMAN MARTY QUINN
“In February 2017, I met with Ms. Hampton to discuss her future with the political organization. As one part of this conversation, Ms. Hampton told me that Kevin Quinn, my brother, had sent her personal text messages and she didn’t want him communicating with her. She made it clear she wanted the text messages to stop. She did not share the text messages with me or advise me of the number of times Kevin had asked her out. Hampton’s request was that Kevin cease all communications with her. She also asked for my discretion, and indicated she did not want others to know about the situation, and that Kevin not be further reprimanded. I told her I would make sure he never contacted her again. I told Ms. Hampton she would never need to speak with Kevin again, and that all communications could be directed to me. I had hoped Ms. Hampton would continue to work with me, but I understand her desire to remove herself.
I immediately met with Kevin and told him to stop all communication with Ms. Hampton. I advised him that such behavior would not be tolerated, and that any further communication with Ms. Hampton would result in immediate termination. He was remorseful and acknowledged his poor judgment.
I did not take further action, such as advising the Speaker, because I was attempting to protect Ms. Hampton’s privacy and honor her wishes. I thought I took swift action and handled the matter as she requested.
After Ms. Hampton advised the Speaker and the investigation was conducted, I realized the extent of the text messages and the nature of the conduct. Although the investigation found that the text messages had ceased immediately at my direction, the Speaker and I discussed the full extent of the situation and decided Kevin should no longer be affiliated with the political organization. I asked for Kevin’s resignation. The Speaker accepted his resignation from the political organization and the State office.”

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