Embattled Democratic state Rep. Harry Benton of Plainfield resigned Friday from the Illinois General Assembly, following an investigation into conduct House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch described as “outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming of a member” of the Illinois House.
Welch confirmed the resignation in a release on Friday evening, saying: “The House is in receipt of Representative Harry Benton’s letter of resignation, effective today at 4:59 p.m. I am grateful to those who came forward and trusted our office to listen, support them, and ensure their concerns were handled appropriately.”
Welch has not publicly detailed Benton’s behavior but called for his resignation on Wednesday after the Illinois legislative inspector general completed the monthslong investigation. Had Benton refused, Welch threatened to move to expel him from the House. A source familiar with the situation has told the Tribune the allegations involved sexual harassment.
In a Friday letter addressed to Welch and released by the speaker’s office, Benton said the “matter has placed tremendous strain on my family since it began in late February. As we move forward into the next chapter of our lives, I respectfully ask that our privacy be honored.”
Benton also said he intended to withdraw his name as the Democratic nominee for the 97th House District and will take the steps necessary to have his name removed from the November ballot.
Benton, who first took office in 2023, said in the letter that serving in the House “has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.” He also extended his “sincere thanks to the constituents” of the district “for placing their trust in me and electing me to serve as their representative.”
“I am deeply grateful for that confidence and respectfully ask for your understanding and privacy as I leave the General Assembly,” Benton wrote.
Benton’s resignation comes months after Welch removed the state representative from eight committee assignments and other House Democratic Caucus duties in February, without explanation. Welch said he notified the House chief ethics officer after his office received reports concerning the conduct, and that the case was then referred to the legislative inspector general “to conduct a thorough, fair, and independent investigation.”
“The Legislative Inspector General’s findings reveal clear patterns of conduct by Representative Benton that are outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming of a member of the Illinois House of Representatives,” Welch said.
Welch and his office mostly avoided commenting on the case, saying the investigative process had to run its course. That sparked criticism from Republicans, who said Welch was not being transparent about Benton’s situation.
Welch in late April reluctantly broke his silence to reporters about his decision to strip Benton of his caucus duties, indicating for the first time that the rights of “victims” were involved, while declining to discuss specifics.
More Top Picks Convergence Insufficiency After Concussion Signs And Treatment
Asked then whether Benton should resign, Welch initially deflected, then elaborated under continued questioning by reporters, noting the importance of protecting the rights of “victims.”
“But (I) also want to underscore something very important, and we shared this with the caucus. We also have to talk about victims, and what they’re entitled to,” Welch said in April. “Coming out and talking to reporters about a process that’s ongoing is not the proper thing to do. And so, we’re going to respect due process. We are going to respect victims. We’re going to respect people’s rights.”
In addition to Welch not releasing details of the allegations, the office of Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey has not released them either. It’s unclear if the investigative report will ever be publicly released.
Only the Legislative Ethics Commission — which includes four Democratic and four Republican lawmakers — can decide whether to release legislative inspector general investigative reports. Commission rules require disclosure only in cases resulting in at least a three-day suspension, a firing, or if the report is part of a disciplinary hearing, according to rules laid out on the LIG’s website. The last time an LIG investigative report was officially released to the public was in 2020.
Under legislative inspector general rules detailed on the LIG’s website, Welch has 20 days after receiving an investigative report to respond in writing to McCuskey’s findings, including with a “description of any corrective or disciplinary action imposed or to be imposed.” That 20-day clock began around Wednesday.
If McCuskey agrees the response is adequate, McCuskey then has 30 days to notify the Legislative Ethics Commission, closing the case unless the commission decides that further investigation is needed by the legislative inspector general or the Illinois attorney general’s office.
Benton, who has worked as an ironworker, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary in March, and he was set to face Republican Gabby Shanahan in November, in a rematch of their 2024 race, which Benton barely won. Benton defeated Shanahan by less than 2,400 votes out of more than 52,700 ballots cast, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
With Benton’s resignation and vow to remove his name from the November ballot, Democratic political officials from Kendall and Will counties, which encompass Benton’s legislative district, must now select a candidate to challenge Shanahan.
Shanahan on Friday evening said in a statement that “the need for honesty, integrity, and transparency did not begin with Harry Benton, and it does not end with his resignation. For too long, too many politicians have put themselves ahead of the people. That is why so many people have lost trust in government.”
She also took a swipe at “people in power” for a lack of transparency about the Benton situation.
“Accountability is not just a press release. It is not months of silence followed by a Friday afternoon announcement before a holiday weekend. Accountability is a promise you make to the people you serve every single day,” Shanahan said.