Reply #8: It's Starting to Smell Like There's Something to Hide

[Raejeanowl]

This story was threaded here just last week, I think. And as a longtime legislative staff professional, I'll say the same thing I said then:

TOTAL B.S.

Pensoneau is absolutely correct. They keep the stuff. They keep the stuff until it rots. Not only for ego, but because it's a treasure trove of work, position papers/speeches they can reuse, chock full of resources and contacts and ideas.

To say that eight years of work has been casually and mysteriously discarded would be to say you're a poor manager, not in control of your papers, your career, or your office. Is that how he wants it in preference to disclosing them?

He also tried to float his lack of staff as the reason he couldn't keep them, but that is also a ruse; state legislators will include or exclude temporaries, part-timers, and interns from their staff counts as it suits them or the circumstances.

Then (in another reporting of the story) he said it was so very, very long ago. Hmmm...all of three years? Ancient history.

Finally, the Illinois state legislative archives will have his general voting and attendance records, committee papers and voting records, and bill testimony IN (virtual) PERPETUITY.