Former federal prosecutor to take over as Illinois' acting legislative ethics watchdog Oct. 1

Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune on Sep 14, 2026

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A former federal prosecutor will temporarily take over as the Illinois General Assembly’s top ethics watchdog, stepping into an office roiled by controversy over how sexual harassment complaints against a former state lawmaker were handled.

David E. Risley has been chosen by the state’s Legislative Ethics Commission to begin the job of acting legislative inspector general on Oct. 1, succeeding Michael P. McCuskey, a former state and federal judge, who is slated to retire on Sept. 30 amid questions over his handling of a female lobbyist’s sexual harassment allegations against disgraced former state Rep. Harry Benton.

A certified inspector general and former assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of Illinois, Risley “brings more than 30 years of experience in investigations and prosecutorial work,” state Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Sycamore Republican who chairs the ethics commission, said in a statement Monday. Risley also served in the U.S. Regime Crimes Liaison Office investigating crimes against humanity in Iraq, as ethics officer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and as legal and ethics adviser in the legislative inspector general’s office, Keicher said.

“The public’s trust has understandably been shaken by recent events, which is why the Commission has acted swiftly to fill the position to provide a seamless transition,” Keicher said. “Mr. Risley’s extensive investigative and prosecutorial experience, as well as his experience with Illinois’ ethics laws, make him an excellent candidate to serve as Acting Legislative Inspector General.”

McCuskey, 78, is stepping down midway through a five-year term. In a report released July 31, McCuskey determined that Benton, a Democrat from Plainfield, engaged in a “pattern and practice” of sexual harassment against the lobbyist and two other women. Benton resigned from the Illinois House on July 3.

But the lobbyist raised her own concerns about McCuskey’s conduct during the investigation, accusing him of mischaracterizing her account. In a letter to Illinois’ four top legislative leaders, first reported by the Tribune, she said McCuskey “violated the confidence of other victims and me, broke standard investigative norms, and made inappropriate comments” to her during their interview and in later interactions about her allegations against Benton.

McCuskey’s handling of the case has become one more flashpoint in the broader controversy over sexual harassment at the Illinois State Capitol. A Tribune investigation published two weeks before McCuskey’s report became public found that House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office learned of a sexual harassment complaint against Benton from one of the three women three years earlier — a young staffer in Benton’s district office who reported him to Welch’s then-chief of staff in April 2023. Welch didn’t take any action against Benton and gave Benton’s reelection campaign $1.4 million a year later.

Risley previously worked under Carol Pope during her tenure as legislative inspector general, before she announced her resignation in 2021, citing concerns that the office lacked the authority to properly investigate legislators and staff, as well as complaints that new ethics provisions passed by the General Assembly at the time were too weak. In the process that ultimately led to McCuskey’s selection in 2022, legislative Democrats had favored Risley — who also once served as director of public safety policy for former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner — to take over the post.

The Legislative Ethics Commission, a bipartisan body composed of four Democratic and four Republican lawmakers, is empowered to appoint an acting legislative inspector general until a permanent replacement is confirmed by the full General Assembly. An acting legislative inspector general has the same authority as someone permanently in the post and, if necessary, could serve until the current term ends on June 30, 2028.

Once Risley starts Oct. 1, each of the four top legislative leaders will have the opportunity to appoint a representative to a search committee that will consider resumes from candidates interested in permanently succeeding McCuskey, Keicher said. Those names would then go to the commission for consideration before being forwarded to the full legislature.

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