State Sen. Michael Hastings has stepped down from an unpaid Democratic leadership role in the state Senate following revelations he filed a court petition against a suburban police department regarding the release of “a fabricated police report with false claims” of domestic violence against him alleged by his wife.
While Hastings, a Frankfort resident, resigned as the whip for the Democratic Majority caucus, he did not step down from his post as chair of the Senate’s Energy and Public Utilities Committee. That role pays him more than $11,000; he also receives a base Senate salary of nearly $73,000 a year, state records show.
Advertisement
In a letter sent Friday to Democratic Senate President Don Harmon, Hastings noted that Harmon requested the resignation.
“Per your request, due to the unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances pertaining to my family, I will have to temporarily step down,” Hastings wrote to Harmon, who accepted the resignation later Friday.
Advertisement
[ Sen. Michael Hastings suing Frankfort police over release of report alleging he abused his wife ]
Hastings last month filed a petition for discovery against the Frankfort Police Department, alleging that unnamed employees with the department or Will County released the “fabricated” police report, which contains allegations of abuse made against him by his wife, whom he said he is divorcing.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
The petition seeks records showing who accessed a June 2021 police report in which Hastings’ wife alleged the senator was verbally abusive to her and had battered her at their Frankfort home months earlier. The filing states that Hastings needs the records to pursue claims against those “who deliberately disseminated and published false statements of fact to third parties.”
Hastings, whose 19th Senate District covers southwest suburbs, including Tinley Park, claimed in a news release last week that his wife worked with political adversaries to fabricate the domestic violence reports in an effort to gain an advantage in divorce proceedings and hurt his election chances.
“Like half of America today, my family and I are experiencing what happens to every family who goes through the divorce process. Unfortunately, my divorce is in the public eye,” Hastings wrote in a statement shared with the Tribune.
“In order to properly manage the local needs of the senate district while separating from my estranged wife, it was in the Senate’s best interest that I step down from my leadership position,” the statement said. “Regardless of my family situation, I will continue to serve our communities in the south suburbs and work to represent my constituents to the best of my ability.”
A spokesperson for Harmon confirmed that the Senate president accepted Hastings’ resignation, but did not say why Harmon requested that Hastings step down.
Advertisement
