‘I’m embarrassed by it’: Speaker Welch apologizes for interactions with former staffer

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is apologizing for his interactions with a former staff member who brought a sexual harassment complaint against ex-Rep. Harry Benton to his office.

Welch told Capitol News Illinois it wasn’t until he read a Chicago Tribune article last month that he realized his actions — including reacting to the former staffer’s Instagram photos with heart eyes and inviting her to a bar through an encrypted messaging app — made her feel uncomfortable.

“When I read that, I felt terrible,” Welch, a Hillside Democrat, said. “That certainly was not my intent, but I made her feel uncomfortable, and I have to own that. I regret that and I’m embarrassed by it, and I apologize for it. And I think that’s taking responsibility.”

Welch said he’s changed his social media behavior since the Chicago Tribune’s July 17 report, which focused heavily on the fact that the staffer initially complained about Benton’s actions toward her in 2023.

The staffer, who once served as an intern in Welch’s office, told the paper she had several interactions with the speaker that made her “uncomfortable.” When she asked him for career advice, for example, he reportedly asked her to move a text conversation to the private messaging app Signal, where messages disappear after a period of time, and meet her at a bar to discuss her request.

That Tribune report put even more pressure on Welch, who was already facing questions for his handling of sexual harassment claims against Benton.

It also wasn’t the first time Welch faced questions about his behavior. He was accused of domestic violence in 2002, though never charged. Years later as a school board member in Proviso Township, he was accused in a lawsuit of sexually harassing two school employees, though it was also dismissed.

A group of Democratic women questioned Welch about the 2002 incident in a huddle on the House floor in January 2021 before committing to supporting him as speaker.

Welch’s own interactions were only part of a heavily scrutinized series of events over the last month involving Benton, the former staffer, and a legislative inspector general report that was made public last week.

Handling complaints

The LIG report confirmed the Tribune’s reporting that Benton’s former district office employee reported a series of inappropriate comments and sexual harassment instances to Welch’s office in April 2023. However, Welch’s office didn’t address the allegations with Benton until July that year.

Read more: Report finds ‘pattern and practice’ of sexual harassment by ex-Rep. Harry Benton

According to Welch, his chief of staff at the time heard through second-hand sources that there were issues in Benton’s office. The chief of staff reached out to Benton’s staffer and asked her to put what happened in writing. Welch said his office waited months to address the issue with Benton because she wanted it to wait until she left her job in Benton’s office, fearing retaliation.

Nevertheless, Benton remained part of the Democratic caucus, and Welch-controlled political funds spent $1.4 million in 2024 to help him get reelected. Welch said there had not been any formal complaints against Benton at the time, as the staff member did not want to file a complaint with the LIG.

“When you’re thinking about 2023, at that time I had an unofficial complaint and a member adamantly deny it,” Welch said. “And so, when you think about a person’s due process, you have to honor that.”

Welch said that 2023 documentation helped build a case this year when he learned about new allegations against Benton. According to documents released by the Legislative Ethics Commission, Benton sexually harassed two different lobbyists at bars and the incidents were reported to the speaker’s office by two state representatives.

Welch said his office learned about the incidents on Feb. 19, and he met with his chief of staff, chief ethics officer and chief counsel the following day. That same day, he said his chief legal counsel verbally informed the LIG. The House was not in session on Feb. 20, and Welch said he met with Benton when the House returned on Feb. 24 and kicked him out of the caucus. A written report wasn’t filed with the LIG until March 4, documents show.

Exploring changes

Welch argued that processes for dealing with complaints — which he kept in place after their implementation under former Speaker Mike Madigan — “were not adequate” and his office is working to come up with stronger procedures.

Sexual harassment in the House was a problem for Madigan in 2018 and it eroded trust with lawmakers, who ultimately forced him out in 2021 as a corruption scandal grew. One of Madigan’s top political operatives, Kevin Quinn, and his chief of staff, Tim Mapes, were both hit with their own allegations of inappropriate behavior.

Eight years later, Benton’s case and Welch’s response to it have again put workplace conduct and sexual harassment in the House back in the spotlight.

“It takes all of us to change a culture,” Welch said. “Everyone that sees something should say something. We should have an environment where people are comfortable to say something, and it’s not going to be fixed by one person alone. It’s going to take all of us, and for me, that’s where the systemic failures come into place.”

Welch said one of his top priorities is centralizing human resources operations in the House. Currently, district staffers report HR concerns like sexual harassment to the representative that employs them. Welch said that “complicates an already volatile situation” and he is looking at ways to have district staff members report to the speaker’s office instead.

Welch is also establishing a House Democratic working group on “culture and accountability” that will be led by Rep. Dagmara Avelar, D-Romeoville. Welch’s working groups typically form a package of policy recommendations that eventually turn into bills, some of which could be on the docket for the November and December veto session.

“Workplace culture goes beyond sexual harassment, and a lot of the conversations we’ve been having with members these last two weeks, they believe that too — that it goes beyond sexual harassment,” Welch said. “It goes to bullying. It goes to hostile work environment. There’s a lot of things that need to be addressed to change the culture.”

Welch said he’s also bringing in an outside investigator to make more recommendations for changes.

Welch’s future

Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, is the only Democratic representative to call for Welch to resign. The two aren’t on speaking terms after Welch removed him from the caucus last year for working on a budget bill without his permission.

“At best, his failure to adequately respond to sexual harassment complaints is the consequence of poor management and irresponsibility,” Crespo said in an opinion piece published by the Tribune last week. “At worst, the speaker doesn’t take sexual harassment seriously and his office normalizes such behavior.”

Other Democrats have criticized Welch’s actions and handling of the situation but stopped short of calling on him to resign.

“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,” Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said in a statement last week. “To date, that has not been the spirit of his response. Instead, we have heard a series of excuses, victim blaming, and a failure to publicly acknowledge shortcomings. That has been disappointing.”

Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, the chair of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus, said in a statement that accountability must go beyond Benton.

“Questions still remain about how these allegations were addressed, and legislators and the public deserve a complete and transparent explanation from those involved,” she said.

Welch said he plans to “continue to serve at the pleasure of the caucus.” New elections for speaker are typically held in January when a new General Assembly is sworn in.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.