ArchPundit

The Trib reports Jeff Trigg’s scoop from yesterday that Judy Baar Topinka is being investigated for having staff do political work.

This leaves the question to be who hasn’t been subpeonaed and the answer would by Hynes, Lisa Madigan, Blagojevich and White with only White and Hynes having been in office long enough. If someone isn’t doing political work in the Secretary of State’s office, that would be a miracle and the first time since the creation of the office. While I won’t go out on a limb on Hynes, my understanding is that he is relatively careful about such things because he is ambitious. I’d be shocked to not see a subpeona for White by the time this is all over. The only office that isn’t suspect is Jim Ryan’s AG office before Madigan took over. He may not have been very aggressive in taking on corruption, but I’ve never heard of issues out of that office.

The particular investigation doesn’t look good for Topinka because there is a whistle blower,

In an interview Wednesday, Santos said she responded to her subpoena by supplying a two-page "testimonial affidavit" to federal authorities she prepared in November. It detailed instances when Santos alleged she and others in the treasurer’s office were pressured by supervisors on state time to do work for Topinka’s successful 2002 re-election effort.

Santos said she witnessed treasurer’s office employees during work hours setting up fundraiser events for Topinka, as well as doing advance work for political events and holding strategy meetings in the treasurer’s 4th-floor offices at the Thompson Center in the Loop.

"I just thought it was so reckless and I was told everybody does it," Santos said.

The accusations mirror claims made by former state Rep. Tom Dart, Topinka’s Democratic opponent last fall, who during the campaign alleged that employees of the treasurer’s office were campaigning for her while they were supposed to be working for the state.

Of course, the story just underscores the point that the political culture is one that accepts illegal activity as normal. After having several whistleblowers for Lee Daniels the GOP hasn’t pressured him to resign his seat which is remarkable.