Isn't it time voters mattered more than money?

George Ryan Trial

At its core, Operation Safe Road, and the George Ryan trial, are about campaign finance. The investigation that became Operation Safe Road began as licenses for bribes – bribes that were laundered into political fundraising committees. State employees at the Secretary of State’s office came to know that promotions, salary increases, and career advancement all depended not on how well they did their jobs but on how much money they could raise for politicians. The Secretary of State’s office came to be riddled through with corruption, as state workers were pressured to contribute to politicians, to work for candidates, even to steal equipment for campaigns.

These are no longer mere allegations, but proven facts from the corruption trials of over 60 previous Safe Road defendants. The central issue in the trial of former Governor George Ryan is not “were public resources abused for political gain?”, but “did George Ryan authorize it?”