The Republican running for Illinois governor is slamming incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn over revelations of patronage hiring at the state Department of Transportation.
An audit from the state’s Executive Inspector General found I-DOT made hundreds of politically-motivated hires over a decade - in violation of anti-patronage laws.
The report also finds those hires jumped during Quinn’s administration - though it also says neither Quinn nor his staff knew it was happening.
That didn’t stop Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner.
"He’s a phony on reform. He’s misled the voters on the efforts he’s taken on reform. And we have got to change Springfield."
Quinn’s campaign spokeswoman - Brooke Anderson - says the governor has zero tolerance for improper hiring.
"The governor was very upset and angry to learn that the rules had not been followed at this agency. The report makes very clear that the governor's office was not involved and aware of those problems."
The former head of I-DOT says the governor’s office recommended people for the jobs - but Anderson says that’s false.