Just More Excuses From Speaker Welch

In an effort to preserve his power, Speaker Chris Welch launched a media tour to defend his handling of the Harry Benton scandal. But with each interview, he offers a different explanation with more excuses. First it was due process. Then it was respecting the survivor's wishes. Now it’s reported that he just dismisses complaints that come into his office.

 

The excuses keep changing, but the outcome stayed the same: Speaker Welch covered up sexual harassment allegations. 

First It Was "Due Process"

"But we still did an informal investigation and we brought the representative in and he adamantly denied the allegations. And so at that point for me it's a due process issue..."

Speaker Welch continues to hide behind "due process," but where was the process? If due process simply means asking a lawmaker whether the allegations are true and accepting "no" as the final answer, then any member accused of misconduct can deny it, avoid meaningful scrutiny, and continue receiving support. That's not accountability.

Then It Was "Respecting the Survivor's Wishes"

"The guiding principle in 2023 was following the wishes of the survivor."

Now Speaker Welch says he was simply honoring the survivor's wishes. But that explanation is harder to square with the timeline. Why did Speaker Welch wait until 2026 and take action when a lobbyist came forward instead of protecting a young staffer in 2023?

 
Now It's "I Get a Lot of Complaints"

According to the Chicago Tribune, Welch told members of the House Democratic Women's Caucus he didn't initially take the 2023 complaint seriously because he "gets a lot of complaints against members."

If that's the standard, Illinoisans deserve to know: how many complaints were received, how many were investigated, and how many were dismissed?

Speaker Welch's explanations may keep changing, but the facts don't. His office knew about the allegations in 2023. Harry Benton remained in office. More allegations surfaced. Only then did Speaker Welch finally act and no amount of cover-up will change that.

Amid the ongoing turmoil in the Speaker’s Office, House Republicans are continuing to work on stronger ethics reforms such as HB 1382, to bring more accountability to Springfield.