Daley Dodges

We guess we won't be hearing the stuttering midget under oath any time soon:

• Former Mayor Richard M. Daley will not have to answer questions under oath about allegations that — as state’s attorney and as mayor — he failed to investigate torture allegations against convicted former Area 2 Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge.

  Daley avoided the hot seat on Monday — with an assist from Mayor Rahm Emanuel — thanks to $7.17 million in settlements advanced by the City Council’s Finance Committee.

  The new settlements bring to $53.6 million the amount of money local taxpayers have shelled out to defend Burge and his Area 2 co-horts [sic], compensate victims of their alleged torture and pay a special prosecutor to investigate the controversy.

This remains one of the more annoying cases we've followed - not a single person has been convicted of torture, not a single case has been brought to trial, not a single shred of physical evidence has even been produced to prove torture, yet $53 million (and counting) has been paid from taxpayer funds.