Spotlight Politics: Feds Raid Another Longtime Alderman’s Office


Assessing the political fallout from the federal raid of another longtime alderman’s office. Our politics team of Carol Marin, Paris Schutz and Amanda Vinicky takes on that and more in this edition of Spotlight Politics.


Another week, another federal raid, another round of speculation as to what alleged misdeeds Chicago’s City Council members have committed.

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The raid of Ald. Carrie Austin’s ward office comes soon after Ald. Ed Burke’s federal indictment on racketeering and bribery charges, but there’s no evidence the two probes are related.

The raid comes as Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces some heat of her own for her travel habits. Lightfoot spent the weekend in New York visiting with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, being interviewed by Stephen Colbert, and conducting city-related business. It prompted onlookers, including the Chicago Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman, to criticize her for making the same mistakes Spielman believes Mayor Rahm Emanuel made: focusing on jet-setting and meeting high-profile, national personalities rather than spending more time in Chicago.

Follow us on Twitter: @wttw @paschutz @CarolMarin | @AmandaVinicky


Related stories:

FBI Raids 34th Ward Office of Ald. Carrie Austin

Lightfoot: Independent Commission Should Redraw City’s 50 Wards

Changes Coming to Chicago’s Embattled Workers’ Comp System


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