Sen. Hendon (Gov. Quinn?) in Hot Water over DCEO Grants

Chicago Daily Observer from the Chicago Tribune story:

Subpoenas from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office arrived in August at five state agencies seeking copies of contracts and other financial records related to nearly 50 not-for-profit agencies and more than a dozen individuals.

An accompanying letter says the subpoenas are part of “an official criminal investigation,” although it does not say who or what may have been the subject of the investigation.

A number of the agencies said they received grants with the assistance of Chicago mayoral candidate and Democratic state Sen. Rickey Hendon, who is also assistant Senate majority leader. Several of the individuals have ties to Hendon, including his sister and her daughter, whose film and stage production organization received more than $1 million from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in 2007-08, some of which went to make a movie.

A movie.

Hendon himself is not named in the subpoenas. Tribune:

Hendon said he did not know why the records were subpoenaed. He declined to comment when asked whether law enforcement authorities had contacted or questioned him.

More:

The Rev. Lewis Flowers of the Westside Ministers Coalition, which received $140,000 in state funding from 2006-08 for after-school and other programs run by the coalition or a sister agency, said if the government is investigating grant expenditures, he finds no fault in Hendon.

"He always tells people to make sure that you've got your paperwork in order, because he's not going to jail for nobody," Flowers said.

Chicago Democrat State Sen. Rickey "Hollywood" Hendon was most recently in the news in the company of Dem Governor Quinn making particularly inflammatory remarks aimed at Quinn's GOP challenger Bill Brady. Dem Governor Pat Quinn stood by while Illinois state Sen. Rickey Hollywood Hendon made the most sickening slurs against Republican candidate for governor Bill Brady, then shook Hendon's hand. Knowingly despicable. These remarks:

Several local politicians attended the rally, led by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, at the New Tabernacle of Faith Baptist Church, which was filled with union workers when Hendon launched into his attack on Republican governor nominee Bill Brady, a state senator from Bloomington.

"Let me tell you a couple things. I've served with Bill Brady. I've never served with such an idiotic, racist, sexist, homophobic person in my life," Hendon told the crowd. "If you think that the minimum wage needs to be $3 an hour, vote for Bill Brady. If you think that women have no rights whatsoever except to have his children, vote for Bill Brady. If you think gay and lesbian people need to be locked up and shot in the head, vote for Bill Brady."

The crowd clapped loudly as Hendon wound up his sermon-style introduction, some shouting "No sir!" as Hendon ticked off his criticism of Brady.

Is there a connection?

Some of the Chicago media tried to sanitize Hendon's remarks. How much more does the Chicago/Illinois media know about these subpoenas, given they were issued back in August. Hmm?

The subpoenas went to DCEO and the Departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services, Public Health, and the State Board of Education.

I understand from an anonymous credible source that Quinn may receive a subpoena too, if he hasn't already. Isn't this something the voters should know before the election?

Some may say they don't want to politicize the legal process, but this seems way too convenient for the Dems, considering we had the same kind of thing going on with Blago when he was reelected--he was under NINE separate federal investigations. Now he has been impeached. And convicted in the courts on one count. So far.

Well, there's a gubernatorial debate tonight on WTTW Channel 11. Will this question come up?