Five weeks into her trial over allegations she conspired to bribe House Speaker Michael Madigan, ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, the theater major from Ohio with a knack for public speaking, is facing the most important performance of her life.
Pramaggiore, 64, informed the court on Wednesday that she plans to take the witness stand and testify in her own defense — a rare and often risky move in a high-stakes federal trial. Her lawyer has said her testimony will likely begin Thursday morning and could last into next week.
As the longtime face of ComEd, Pramaggiore, of Barrington, was a rising star in the male-dominated corporate world, and often came across as a brainy mix of business savvy and homespun directness that put people, including public officials, at ease.
But her turn on the witness stand will be unlike any other public speaking she’s ever done, a far cry from the friendly luncheons at the City Club of Chicago, where her emcee, and now co-defendant Jay Doherty, lauded her before every speech.
While Pramaggiore, who has a law degree, will have a chance to charm the jury and perhaps explain some of her statements on the wiretapped calls played in court, she also will be subjected to intense and lengthy cross examination from prosecutors, questioning they’ve likely been preparing for months.
Before the trial began Thursday, prosecutors revealed for the first time that Pramaggiore sat down for what’s known as a “proffer” session with the U.S. attorney’s office in September 2019, leading to a 33-page FBI report of her statements.
Proffer sessions are typically part of an initial exploration of potential cooperation or a guilty plea. The judge ruled that if Pramaggiore testifies inconsistently with her proffer, prosecutors can try to impeach her with the FBI report.
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