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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Illinois Deputy Governor's Salary Listing Removed From Health Fund, Blames Comptroller For Leak

twitter.com/lesliemungeril

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's office has filed paperwork to ensure a new deputy governor isn't paid from an insurance fund that is $4 billion behind on medical payments.

And Rauner is accusing Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza of leaking what he calls "a false story" about his administration.

“The fact that this is even a topic just shows the political spin that’s going on with the comptroller’s office. Mendoza has been on a mission to create a crisis -- we’ve stopped her on most of her instances so far,” Rauner said.

Rauner says the story was “a political plant that should never have been reported.”

He says former comptroller Leslie Munger’s salary was set to be taken out of the wrong account due to a "clerical error."

Mendoza received a letter Friday morning from Rauner's fiscal officer. It requests that a portion of Leslie Munger's $138,000 salary come from a professional services fund.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Munger was slated to be paid in part from the group health insurance fund.

A spokesperson for Comptroller Mendoza says her office did not leak the story and accuses Rauner of becoming "unhinged." 

The health account holds state employee insurance premiums and is used to pay medical providers. It accounts for one-third of the state's $12 billion pile of past-due bills. 

Munger, a former state comptroller, hasn't been paid in her current job.

  • Tony Arnold and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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