Investigative Committee to Look at State Rep. Smith

Governor Pat Quinn and Secretary of State Jesse White are calling on state Representative Derrick Smith to resign.

Smith got his seat in the Illinois House with the help of White, his former boss and mentor.

White is credited with convincing his fellow ward committeemen on the west side of Chicago to choose Smith when a vacancy opened a year ago.

But now White's calling on his protégé to resign after Smith was charged last week with accepting a bribe.

White and Governor Pat Quinn waited until after the election to call for Smith to step down. Despite his legal troubles, Smith got support from 77 percent of Democratic primary voters.

Meanwhile, the Illinois House is set to begin disciplinary proceedings next week, following a call for action from Republicans, including Representative Ed Sullivan of Mundelein.

"Why? The why is very easy," Sullivan said. "This is allegations of corruption. So we would like to move forward. And have the House of Representatives clean their own House."

Members of a special investigative committee are set to meet Tuesday in Springfield.

Smith has remained mum, and was absent from session Wednesday.