DeKalb Times

Illinois state Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) is calling for an immediate probe into an email that allegedly ties a longtime associate of House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) to a possible rape cover-up.

WBEZ reports that longtime Madigan associate Mike McClain refers to “the rape in Champaign” in a 2012 email. The revelation has left Keicher looking for answers.

“I have been an advocate for victims of sexual abuse and cannot imagine the pain and distress of a victim watching their abuser being protected at the highest levels of Illinois government at the time this alleged incident occurred in 2012, and ever since,” Keicher said in a recent post to Facebook. “It’s never too late to seek justice. We should commence an investigation immediately.”

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago)

Others, like Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider, are demanding that Madigan step forward to provide answers.

“The company you keep for decades says a lot about the type of person you are,” Schneider said in a press release. “Madigan's leadership – the power structure of the Democratic party in Illinois – is rotten to the core. Madigan must provide answers immediately to these two questions: What did you know about the rape and when did you know it?”