Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan exits the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago on Monday, Oct. 21, after opening statements in his federal corruption concluded. | Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams
Capitol News Illinois reporter Hannah Meisel is covering the corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan from the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago.
The former speaker, who left office under growing pressure related to the FBI investigation surrounding him in early 2021, faces 23 counts of racketeering, bribery, extortion and wire fraud.
For the full background on the trial, the yearslong investigation and Madigans’s fall from power, read Meisel’s preview story here: 4 decades after rising to power and nearly 4 years since his fall, former Speaker Madigan goes to trial
To summarize, prosecutors allege he used his political power and various offices – including as a partner in his law firm – as a “criminal enterprise” to protect and enhance his power while enriching himself and his allies. But his defense attorneys argue the state is trying to criminalize the political process and baseline constituent services.
His co-defendant Mike McClain, a veteran Statehouse lobbyist and longtime Madigan confidant, was already convicted on public corruption charges last year in the separate but related “ComEd Four” trial. The feds are again trying to show McClain is an “agent” of Madigan, while his defense attorneys say he simply engaged in legal relationship maintenance, a core function of lobbying
Below is a rundown of the coverage from the courtroom – where the trial is scheduled each Monday through Thursday well into December. This page will be updated as the trial progresses.
Monday, Oct. 21
Madigan’s approach to power at center of opening statements in his corruption trial: The jury heard Madigan’s opening statements and got a first look at a key piece of evidence that has for years been teased in legal filings. In that grainy video, Madigan meets with Chicago Ald. Danny Solis to discuss how the speaker’s property tax appeals firm could get business from an apartment development project. But Solis, the chair of Chicago City Council’s powerful zoning board, was secretly wearing a video camera. Read the story here.
Tuesday, Oct. 22
Feds ‘turned over heaven and earth’ in Madigan probe but found no real bribes, co-defendant says: It was McClain’s day for opening statements on Tuesday as he sat at a defense table for the beginning of his second corruption trial in 19 months. His defense attorneys sought to show the government had tunnel vision as a result of its yearslong investigation into Madigan and “wrongly concluded that since Mike Madigan is powerful, therefore he must be corrupt.” The jury also heard from a pair of former lawmakers who had conflicts with Madigan. Read the story here.
Wednesday, Oct. 23
ComEd exec testifies utility prepared for bankruptcy before 2011 law threw it a lifeline: McClain’s role as electric utility Commonwealth Edison’s longtime top contract lobbyist is central to the trial. On Wednesday, a ComEd executive said the company was preparing for bankruptcy in 2007 and continued in “dire” financial straits before it successfully lobbied for a 2011 law that helped make it profitable again. How that measure became law – and whether it happened legally – was the focus of Wednesday’s court proceedings. Read the story here.
Thursday, Oct. 24
‘My client is the speaker’: Jury hears wiretapped calls of Madigan co-defendant, longtime friend: The jury heard witness testimony and nearly three dozen wiretapped phone calls on Thursday. Included were calls the feds hope will bolster their argument that McClain was Madigan’s “agent” – a term McClain himself sometimes used. In another call, McClain told a colleague: “Your client is only Mike Madigan. It’s not the Democratic Party … it’s not anybody that hired you, it’s not your mom and dad. The only person you care about is Mike Madigan.” Read the story here.
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