CHICAGO – After an outburst on the Illinois House floor this week that ended with Democrat House member Stephanie Kifowit suggesting she would create a disease-ridden concoction that would cause State Rep. Peter Breen's "loved one" to suffer and die, Illinois Review asked Facebook readers if Kifowit should resign. 94% said she should resign.
Illinois Citizens for Ethics is not willing to overlook Kifowit's actions. This week, they're calling on House Speaker Michael Madigan and the Democratic Party of Illinois to demand Kifowit's resignation. They created a website "Kifowit-is-unfit.com" reviewing the floor debate video and asking for signatures of those that join their call for her resignation.
"Regrettably, Representative Kifowit did not take responsibility for her comments, but instead claimed that she spoke hypothetically, although the video and transcript show otherwise," ICE-PAC said in a press release.
“Threatening the safety of a public official or his or her loved one is a crime. While Representative Kifowit may not intend bodily harm to others, these comments must be taken seriously to ensure the safety of public officials in our state,” said David Avignone, Executive Director of Illinois Citizens for Ethics PAC. "Politicians of both parties have suffered death threats and even attempted murder because people who are not of sound mind hear this kind of rhetoric and act on it.”
ICE-PAC has created a Change.org petition to take action, with a goal of 10,000 signatures. The petition can be accessed through the website Kifowit-is-Unfit.com.
"We urge Speaker Madigan to show zero tolerance in his caucus for rhetoric that incites violence," stated Mary-Louise Hengesbaugh, Chair of Illinois Citizens for Ethics. "Representative Kifowit must take responsibility for what she said and submit her resignation."
