Illinois' Legislative Inspector General says a former aide to House Speaker Michael Madigan sexually harassed a subordinate, Alaina Hampton.
Inspector General Carol Pope’s report says Kevin Quinn harassed Hampton, relentlessly pursuing a relationship over her objections. Pope says that harassment created “an intimidating, hostile, and offensive working environment.”
In a letter, Quinn accepted responsibility for his actions and apologized to Hampton.
Madigan fired Quinn last year just before Hampton publicly criticized Madigan’s handling of the case.
However, Pope found that Kevin Quinn could not be held accountable under Illinois law because his harassment of Hampton occurred before a measure specifically prohibiting sexual harassment by state employees and officials was enacted.
Quinn wrote a letter to Pope stating he regretted his actions. Madigan fired him in 2018.
Through the Democratic Party of Illinois, Madigan says a former Legislative Inspector General reviewed his actions and found them reasonable.
Hampton is pursuing a federal lawsuit against the Democratic Party and Madigan's campaign funds.
Chicago Ald. Marty Quinn was his brother’s supervisor before the firing. He also released a statement through the Democratic Party:
“The Legislative Inspector General’s report reiterates the statement I made in February 2018 and confirms my handling of this situation. When Ms. Hampton notified me of inappropriate text messages from my brother, I took immediate action. I also did exactly what she asked me to do. I understood Ms. Hampton wanted the text messages to stop and I made sure she was never contacted by my brother again. I have never wavered from creating a safe and productive workplace and I never will."
Meanwhile, the inspector general also released a report on Madigan’s former chief of staff, Tim Mapes.
It found Mapes had a long history of making inappropriate sexual comments and that these comments “created an intimidating, hostile and offensive work environment.”
In a letter trying to keep the report from being published, Mapes' attorney denied the charges.
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