PLAINFIELD, IL — Gov. JB Pritzker called on Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch to be "completely transparent" about the harassment allegations against ex-State Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) and how his office handled the investigation that led to his resignation, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.
Benton, who was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2022, tendered his resignation July 3, a day after Welch called for it, saying his patterns of conduct were "outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming," Patch reported. The former representative of the 97th District was stripped of all eight of his committee assignments six months ago.
No official reason has been given for Benton's ousting, but that could change Thursday as the Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission decides whether to release a report on the investigation, according to ABC Chicago.
"The speaker has a responsibility to be utterly and completely transparent about the situation to make sure that he is letting the public know, as well as, in particular, his members know exactly what happened, and to the extent that he made mistakes, to own up to those mistakes," Pritzker said at a press conference, per the Tribune.
An independent investigation conducted by the Tribune detailed harassment allegations against Benton, many sexual in nature, that arose in 2023. At least one other person came forward with other harassment allegations against him this year, according to the report.
Democrats unanimously voted July 19 to appoint Jessica Dixon Heitman to fill the 97th District seat. She is also the party's nominee for November's general election. Benton removed himself from the race upon his resignation earlier this month.
In an interview with Farmers Weekly, Dixon Heitman said she saw "a lot of red flags" while working in Benton's office as an independent contractor for about six months in 2023.
Those red flags included inappropriate behavior with a "very young" staffer, she told the outlet, adding that the staff "was very opposed to filing any sort of report" out of fear of being "blacklisted."
Dixon Heitman, the granddaughter of the late U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon, will face Republican Gabby Shanahan in the November election.
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