McClain also has been under fire this week for a July 2012 email in which he advocated for state worker Forrest Ashby in a disciplinary matter. In the email to then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s aides, McClain said Ashby “kept his mouth shut” about “Jones’ ghost workers, the rape in Champaign and other items. He is loyal to the administration.” The email, first reported by WBEZ, did not include any other details.