When House Speaker Mike Madigan revealed that former State Rep. Jack Franks had been banned from the State Capitol without an escort, I figured that there had to be some paperwork that ended up in the Secretary of State Jesse White’s office.

After all, the Secretary of State controls the Capitol Complex.

Madigan would have had to ask White’s office to enforce visits without a monitor.

The office even has its own police force, best remember by me for having one of its officer shoot a suitcase thought to be a bomb. (Now they have a real bomb squad.)

So, I filed a couple of Freedom of Information requests asking for

• documents showing any dates Franks is shown to have entered or left the building back through 2016
• documents relating to Jack Franks’ not being allowed in the State Capitol without an escort
• documents relating to Jack Franks’ not being allowed in the State Capitol without an escort

The first request was denied because, “the Secretary of State Police does not maintain entry or exit logs for the Capitol or Capitol Complex.”

I find this strange because people certainly had to sign in to the Stratton Office Building before it officially opened and after hours when I was in office.

Maybe the SoS Police does not keep these records, but one would think it would.

My second request was denied by White’s Executive Counsel Donna M. Leonard, Executive Counsel because

“The Director of the Secretary of State Police advised me that an individual who requires an escort to enter the Capitol Building is accompanied by a member of the Capitol Police who is on duty that day. 

“No record is kept of the name of the escort or the identity of the individual who was provided an escort.”

Nothing to see here.

Move along.

The third request had a longer explanation:

“The Office of the Secretary of State denies your request. Given the serious nature of the allegations against a former Illinois State Representative that involve an employee of the Speaker’s office, the Secretary of State asserts that the release of the requested information, even with redactions, will lead to the disclosure of the identity of both the victim and any witnesses.

“Disclosing the identities of the victim and/or the witnesses will result in an unwarranted invasion of their respective personal privacy and will ultimately have a chilling effect on both going forward as the investigation progresses.

“The chilling effect would result in the interference with and the obstruction of the ongoing investigation conducted by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney with the Illinois State Police.  

“As a law enforcement agency itself, and in balancing the subjects’ right to privacy against the public interest in disclosure, the Office of the Secretary of State respectfully declines to:

(1)    expose the victim and /or any witnesses to potential harm either personally or professionally by revealing their identities; and

(2)    thereby knowingly interfere with the legitimate investigation of another law enforcement agency

through the release of the requested information. 

“Accordingly, your request is denied pursuant to Sections 7(1)(c) and 7(1)(d)(iv) of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. [5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c ); 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(d)(iv)].”  

= = = = =

It may or may not be relevant that Franks and White are friends. They go fishing together in Canada. White gave him Illinois license plate 5.