The former assistant secretary at the Illinois Department of Transportation says a report on improper hiring at the agency mischaracterizes what he told investigators.
Former congressman David Phelps disputed a report the Office of Executive Inspector General released Monday. The report says Phelps did "little work" and mostly engaged in "misconduct and abuse." Phelps says he told investigators he answered requests for information from job-seekers but did nothing improper. Witnesses whose names are redacted in the report say Phelps told IDOT interviewers what candidates he favored. The report recommends discharging Phelps. He retired shortly after that in February 2011 but says retirement was in the works long before the report. Phelps says he had no chance to rebut the allegations.
