Illinois lawmakers are free to pursue their own investigation into House Speaker Michael Madigan’s role in a bribery scheme involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison, as long as they don’t specifically ask witnesses what information they’ve shared with federal investigators or a federal grand jury.
 
That was the word late Thursday from John Lausch Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
 
“We recognize the (Special Investigating Committee’s) separate and independent responsibilities, and therefore, we do not object generally to the SIC’s pursuit of testimony and production of documents, even if the party previously shared the same underlying factual information with federal prosecutors or law enforcement agents,” Lausch wrote in a letter to the top Democratic and Republican members of the committee, adding, “except as noted below.”
 
Lausch went on to describe a narrow set of circumstances that could prompt an objection from his office if lawmakers seek to find out what information witnesses have told federal investigators or a grand jury.
 
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