Third Benton Victim Revealed in LIG Report
Then-Rep. Harry Benton at his desk in the House chamber in May. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
A third victim of sexual harassment has been revealed as the full Legislative Inspector General’s report into complaints regarding former Rep. Harry Benton was released Friday.
Previous allegations against Benton for harassing a staffer and a lobbyist three years apart were included in the report, which was released Friday by the bipartisan, bicameral Legislative Ethics Commission, but the third incident had not yet previously been publicly known.
Benton resigned July 3, days after House Speaker Chris Welch received the initial report into Benton’s actions and called on Benton to resign or face expulsion from the House.
In the report, the newest allegation against Benton is that he touched the back of made a district office staffer of another legislative office, making her uncomfortable. The reported incident occurred at a Latino Unity Day event in Springfield. The incident is undated in the report, but sources say it took place in 2025.
“Rep. Benton approached her and leaned over her and put his hand on her back,” the report states. “He continued to lean over her while touching her back. She then backed away from him because he made her feel uneasy. She said he was creepy. An individual came to intervene and stood between the district director and Benton.”
Benton denied the incident ever took place, but LIG Michael McCuskey said the complaint was founded.
We also learned more into the 2023 allegations against Benton by a district office staffer.
The initial report from the staffer to Welch’s then-Chief of Staff came April 14, 2023, but Benton wasn’t interviewed by the Speaker’s office until July. There was no explanation for the delay.
The employee, who was not identified in the report and is not being identified by The Illinoize, left Benton’s office in mid-2023, apparently didn’t speak with the LIG until earlier this month, but, even then, it appears she didn’t take part in a formal interview.
She did issue a response included the report, claiming “sexual harassment is not a lapse in judgement.”
“It is not something to be swept under the rug. It is an abuse of power, an abuse of the trust that voters place in that office,” she wrote. “The workers who keep our state government running, many of them young people who showed up eager to serve, deserve to work without fear. And every young person watching learns from what our leaders do, not what they say.”
The LIG report confirmed our reporting this week that Welch waited two weeks in between learning of the allegation that Benton harassed a lobbyist at a bar in Chicago and filing a complaint with the LIG. There is no explanation outlined in the report.
The report confirmed reporting in the Chicago Tribune that Benton approached the lobbyist and made explicit statements to her.
The LIG report largely did not address the actions, or inaction, of House Speaker Chris Welch. Why Welch’s office didn’t interview Benton for months in 2023, why it didn’t take action against Benton after the initial complaint, why Welch had communication with the young staffer on social media, and why he continued to support Benton in 2024 with nearly $1.5 million in campaign cash are all questions that remain.
Welch issued a statement claiming his office acted responsibly.
“The report reaffirms confidence that our office acted responsibly—following legal guidance, respecting the wishes of those who came forward, and taking decisive action as additional information established a pattern of misconduct,” he said in a statement.
But not all Democrats are comfortable with Welch’s explanations.
“The Speaker must demonstrate a sincere desire to repair the harm he has done, and to correct the broken system in which we are all operating. To date, that has not been the spirit of his response,” said Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), in a statement. “Instead, we have heard a series of excuses, victim blaming, and a failure to publicly acknowledge shortcomings. That has been disappointing.”
Cassidy did not call on Welch to resign. Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates) has called on Welch to resign. Sources say Welch is facing “serious questions” from members of his caucus, specifically women.
