Welch Calls on Rep. Harry Benton to Resign or Be Expelled from House
Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield)
More than four months after Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) was removed from House Democratic Caucus after allegations of sexual harassment, House Speaker Chris Welch says Benton should resign or face expulsion from the House.
In a statement Wednesday, Welch confirmed an investigation into Benton’s conduct by the Legislative Inspector General was complete and found “clear patterns of conduct by Representative Benton that are outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming of a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.”
Welch said his February decision to ban Benton from the Democratic caucus and strip him of staff support will be made permanent.
But, Welch said, he wants Benton out.
“I spoke directly with Representative Benton and called for his immediate resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives,” Welch said in his statement. “If he does not resign, we will initiate the process of expelling him from the House.”
Under state law, Welch has 20 days to respond to the Legislative Inspector General, in which he can urge the Legislative Ethics Commission, the group of bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers who oversee ethics complaints, to release the report publicly. LIG Judge Mike McCuskey would then have 30 days to notify the Attorney General And LEC the complaint warrants further investigation.
McCuskey declined to comment on the investigation.
A complicating factor for House Democrats to remove Benton is that he remains on the November ballot. If Benton resigns from office and the ballot, county chairmen would choose a replacement. If Benton refuses to resign, he could be expelled from the House, win his race in November, and return to the House. Under House rules, he could not be expelled again for the same charges against him.
A similar instance took place with then-Rep. Derrick Smith of Chicago in 2012, who was expelled from the House after being indicted on bribery charges. He won re-election and returned to the House in 2013. He was automatically removed from the House when convicted of felony bribery charges.
It won’t be as easy for Benton to win re-election, though, as he faces a significant challenge from Republican candidate Gabby Shanahan .
In a statement Wednesday, House Republicans said Benton’s days in Springfield are numbered.
"Harry Benton is a disgrace. One way or another, he won’t be a state representative come January. He can leave through the front door, or the voters can throw him out in November,” the statement read.
We rated Benton’s seat as the sixth most likely to flip in November.
Benton did not return a message Wednesday about his plans
