* Press release…
New emails released by the Sullivan-Murphy campaign today show deep ties between the “Madigan enterprise” and the Pritzker administration.
In 2020, WBEZ reporting revealed Gov. J.B. Pritzker hired 35 individuals from then-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s “clout list,” costing taxpayers $2.5 million per year in salaries alone. This reporting was based primarily on emails sent by a Madigan aide.
Published today for the first time, new emails obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show how Madigan’s right-hand man, Michael McClain, worked with the highest levels of the Pritzker administration: from lobbying for patronage job placements to offering condolences for a criminal investigation into Pritzker’s “scheme to defraud” taxpayers.
The emails show:
• McClain lobbying Pritzker for an ally to get a job in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
• McClain successfully placing a job candidate on the Prisoner Review Board.
• McClain sending resumes to the office of Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, describing one candidate as “‘young’ to the dark side but .. impressive.”
• McClain sending Mitchell’s office a list of “double-exempt” positions. Double-exempt jobs are patronage havens as they are not subject to political hiring restrictions.
• McClain writing to Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh, “I am deeply sorry about the alleged federal investigation,” referring to the criminal investigation into Pritzker’s removing of toilets from his Gold Coast mansion to reduce his property tax burden.
• Senior Pritzker advisor Nikki Budzinski trading compliments with McClain months after news broke that his house was raided as part of the FBI investigation into Madigan.
View the McClain email log here.
Rather than strengthening Illinois’ anti-corruption rules in the wake of the Madigan indictment, Pritzker is weakening them. The governor is fighting in court to fire the federally appointed patronage hiring monitor for his administration.
“Every last Madigan patronage hire should be removed from state service,” Sullivan said.
“But instead of strengthening our watchdogs, our governor is trying to fire them. Taxpayers deserve a thorough investigation into patronage hiring in the Pritzker administration.”
On Tuesday, the Sullivan-Murphy campaign released the 10-point Clean Up Illinois agenda to fight corruption in state government.
Some of this is a stretch, but most of it will make for hot stuff in the fall campaign. It’s quite a hit.
Also, for a guy who regularly told people to never put anything in writing, he sure put a lot of stuff in writing.
Also too, I should note that one of the Madigan “patronage hires” is Jim Edgar.
*** UPDATE *** Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
Try as they may to make this election about Mike Madigan, the facts are clear: The governor passed comprehensive ethics legislation to clean up Springfield and stands ready and willing to work with the General Assembly to do more to restore trust in government. As U.S. Attorney John Lausch said, there are absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing against Governor Pritzker or his staff.
Given Jesse Sullivan’s inability to give a straight answer on questions like whether or not he supports the $15 minimum wage, it is no surprise that he is desperately and falsely attacking the governor in an attempt to break out of a messy, crowded primary.
McClain was hated by top Pritzker staff for doing stuff like this…
Two weeks before Anne Caprara stepped into one of the highest profile political roles of her life, she got a call from Gov. J.B. Pritzker with some uncomfortable news.
Pritzker sounded upset, according to a high-level source close to the governor. He said people were “trashing” Caprara to several others, including reporters, in an attempt to squash her appointment as Pritzker’s chief of staff.
That maneuvering didn’t start after the election, either. McClain tried to force Caprara out of her campaign manager’s job before the 2018 primary and then again after the primary. As that article notes, he wasn’t exactly welcomed into the office.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:43 am:
Most of this stuff is really nothing, and voters are going to need a flow chart to even know who’s talking, but it’s an actual oppo dump, which is more than about half the Republicans can pull off.
Now we wait for Sullivan to do something very dumb to make up for it.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:47 am:
“wait for Sullivan to do something very dumb to make up for it”
Rest assured his ACME Pritzker Trap will be delivered any day now.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:48 am:
Also, I’ll keep beating this drum every time it comes up: the federally-appointed patronage monitor has relentlessly expanded the scope of her remit, which means she can bill more and more hours, all at the taxpayers’ expense. She has slowed down the hiring process of an already sclerotic and understaffed government, and there’s been very few expressed metrics for when she can declare victory and close down her work. She absolutely needs to be reined in, and Governor-Elect Sullivan will himself say so almost as soon as he wins (if he ever does).
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:50 am:
===…costing taxpayers $2.5 million per year in salaries alone…===
If it wasn’t these people, it would be other people in those jobs. That $2.5 million would be spent regardless. At an average salary of $71,400, it’s not like these people were grossly overpaid.
But I’m sure we’ll hear from the usual spelunkers that this is why property taxes are so high. Or something similarly dumb.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:55 am:
===Also, for a guy who regularly told people to never put anything in writing, he sure put a lot of stuff in writing.===
Oh yeah, they definitely all thought they were above the game, above the rules.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 8:57 am:
===… a guy who regularly told people to never put anything in writing, he sure put a lot of stuff in writing.===
Could be hubris that he felt himself and “Himself” were out of reach of those who could “hurt” them.
Let me first type, so there’s no confusion, this is and will be a big deal going forward and in the fall. It is. Politically, it is a hit with teeth, or should I say with receipts. So, before there’s “confusion” to any alternative fact, it’s a big hit, it’ll play in the fall.
To the whole drop… as a whole…
The McClain emails, voluminous as they are, it’s not as though everything was granted or an open door existed. That’s the good about this hit, the more one doth protest to McClain’s access, it’s undeniable that these 35 exist, and in an ad or description, they can go back to McClain.
Also, is the consensus that all are bad hires? Bad choices?
The argument will be about access, maybe not always about the people or policy or whatever the next dumps bring. So if 10 other people recommend “Charlie Connected” but McClain did too, that taint to Charlie is now the override? Tough thing.
I guess finally, culture.
Not “corrupt culture” or “insider culture”… just the nature of politics and governing.
Politics and governing *IS* a people business.
You can be the ultimate wonk, celebrated for knowledge and understanding, but no one might know that about you… without people talking to people talking to people. The trade of both has as its bedrock relationships. It does. That goes for press, (when you wanna do an oppo dump as an example) in agencies, in each branch, lobbyists… you don’t hire great lobbyists who don’t know a soul… that person doesn’t exists because the art and science of lobbying must include relationships and being able to navigate a “people” industry.
So, when I see, read, digest all this… I also look at the trade, the industry, the idea of business, and while McClain write it all down like the books one might keep at “a small grocery in Kansas City” as an example, I’ll be shocked when the next Third House Speaker is elected where all seem to wonder “who is this person”?
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:04 am:
The defenders of JB don’t seem to appreciate that even if the patronage hire emails are not evidence of illegality. They for sure put JB and his leadership team in communication with MJM’s doing sleazy back room type deals. With MJM’s Federal Racketeering and Bribery trial proceeding through the election cycle - this will not be easily dismmissed
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:04 am:
Thinking this is a nice way to say:
To: Governor Pritzker and Michael McClain
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
From: The Sullivan-Murphy for Governor Campaign.
Of course, calling for all the referrals to be fired is unfair to people who are doing a good job, but other than that this is a fair and direct hit.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:04 am:
==I should note that one of the Madigan “patronage hires” is Jim Edgar.==
Who hired a lot of Cellini “patronage hires” while Governor.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:16 am:
To the update;
===As U.S. Attorney John Lausch said, there are absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing against Governor Pritzker or his staff.===
This is a fact, not an opinion.
The goal now is to push that Pritzker is seen to not only be above the Madigan/McClain taint, but Pritzker has already been removed from any thought of wrongdoing from them.
They have the money to do it, now lemme see how they message it. That will have my attention, how they make it work.
- Soapbox Derby - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:24 am:
Fire all of them, including Edgar.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:26 am:
==McClain was hated by top Pritzker staff for doing stuff like this…==
Yeah, you wouldn’t really call them all allies. Pritzker World kinda looked at all the Madigoons as something like necessary evils, or fixed points that they couldn’t move. But that’s kind of a nuanced position, and do voters do nuance? Voters do not do nuance.
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:28 am:
=John Lausch said, there are absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing against Governor Pritzker or his staff=
Lausch also said there’s more “work ahead of us,” as the investigation remains ongoing.
- low level - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:29 am:
Hope JB’s re elect team is paying attention. This and other factors are going to make this a difficult campaign. Dont take it for granted that just because this is a Dem state that he is a shoe in.
- Knee deep in nonsense - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:29 am:
- just the nature of politics and governing. -
Which is rotten to the core. There’s a big difference between a friend putting in a good word and “I’ll get your property taxes lowered, you clout in a couple of my buddies into state jobs.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:30 am:
=== Fire all of them===
So… what… in another week 10 more names… and another week 3 more names…
The taint may be McClain, how one may be doing the people’s business at this point should factor in, along with not being so reactionary to dumps designed to connect dots not show work inefficiencies.
- left of what - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:35 am:
The fact that this stuff is getting dumped this early seems to indicate they know it won’t amount to much by the fall. Sure, it is in writing, but none of this is new or unique to this admin.
- SAP - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:37 am:
Of course McClain was calling on Pritzker’s people. He was a pest–he annoyed everybody.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:38 am:
=== Which is rotten to the core. There’s a big difference between a friend putting in a good word and…===
Yeah, well, I’m gonna stop you right there and let’s look at your examples…
=== “I’ll get your property taxes lowered…===
What do these 35 have to do with this mouth-breathing?
===…you clout in a couple of my buddies into state jobs.”===
Aren’t some of the jobs even “double exempt”?
It’s not rotten to any core of one is recommended by a slew of folks, as some may have been, but also McClain?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:39 am:
==Lausch also said there’s more “work ahead of us,” as the investigation remains ongoing. ==
If that’s what you’re going with, for all we know Richard Irvin will end up in the hopper.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:41 am:
===Lausch also said there’s more “work ahead of us,” as the investigation remains ongoing.===
Lots of straw grasping here, - Donnie Elgin -, so if you do know of any wrongdoing that the US Attorney already has said the governor hasn’t done, use that toll-free number, dial it in, and tell the office they are wrong…
(Sigh)
- Common knowledge - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:43 am:
Yeah, McClain did not like Caprara. But she was disliked by many elected officials. I even heard DURBIN disliked her and that she refused to allow him to bring someone on a bus/campaign trip.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 9:47 am:
==(Sigh) ==
It’s also just, y’know, basic litigation that a prosecutor’s job isn’t done when the indictment is filed. And investigations will continue, and more facts will be developed, over the course of that litigation (discovery, etc.). I think if you took that fairly banal statement of how prosecutors do their work to mean that you should expect more indictments of *anyone*, let alone someone specific, you’re marrying your hopes to your interpretations.
- Sue - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:16 am:
Drumming up Madigan every day is not a winning strategy but for JB to argue he cleaned up Springfield is totally laughable. His ethics reform is a bandaid applied to a hemorrhaging wound
- John Parker - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:24 am:
I got to the end of that “oppo dump” and wondered, is that it? Did anybody that McClain was lobbying for actually get a job they weren’t qualified for? Some people in government respond to a lobbyist with “nice to hear from you”? This is a Nothingburger Royale with cheese.
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:31 am:
McClain is the gift that keeps on giving to the R’s.
- Opening Date - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:34 am:
Only Durbin and his guy would actually belly-ache about a bus trip.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:40 am:
=== Only Durbin and his guy would actually belly-ache about a bus trip.===
Well, to be fair, anytime you can take a bus tour of “Ell-En-Oi” and you’re denied… I mean, now with Wally’s… I’d hold that grudge for years… decades even.
- Payback - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:18 am:
“As U.S. Attorney John Lausch said, there are absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing against Governor Pritzker or his staff.” Ah yes, the All-Mighty U.S. Attorney’s office of Northern Illinois, still running on the fumes of their reputation from when Eliot Ness cleaned up Chicago…
If it’s true that Pritzker was “virtually” interviewed by the FBI (Zoom hookup?) then I can’t take John Lausch seriously. That is so weak. He is no Patrick Fitzgerald, that’s for sure.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:22 am:
===Ah yes, the All-Mighty U.S. Attorney’s office of Northern Illinois, still running on the fumes of their reputation from when Eliot Ness cleaned up Chicago…
If it’s true that Pritzker was “virtually” interviewed by the FBI (Zoom hookup?) then I can’t take John Lausch seriously. That is so weak. He is no Patrick Fitzgerald, that’s for sure.===
You can call Lausch, report all this illegality that you know of, and be done with it.
Have you made such a call, why or why not?
What exactly do you know that you’re not sharing, isn’t that you aiding and abetting wrongdoing?
You should arrest yourself immediately.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:54 am:
==If it’s true that Pritzker was “virtually” interviewed by the FBI (Zoom hookup?) then I can’t take John Lausch seriously.==
What difference does it make how he was interviewed. Mr. Lausch made it clear the Governor wasn’t the target of any investigation.
If you are taking issue with something like that then I would say it is you who cannot be taken seriously.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 12:33 pm:
===I even heard DURBIN disliked her===
Because he wanted his own guy on that campaign and running the governor’s office. He was in league with McClain.
- Billy Rubin - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:14 pm:
==Because he wanted his own guy on that campaign and running the governor’s office. He was in league with McClain. ==
I wasn’t sure who was the “good guy” in the underground war for control of the state party.
So, who brung Budzinski? Is she DURBIN’s gal?
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:28 pm:
Never met her, but when I heard Ms. Caprara told Mr. McClain to get out of the Governor’s office and not come back she made my heroine of Illinois list.
Congrats to the Gov. for to sticking to choice.
- New Day - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:34 pm:
I read all the emails and with only a couple exceptions, the emails do not contain the responses from Administration officials. McClain can ask anything of anyone. But unless something happened and especially something inappropriate, it amounts to nothing. Plus the amount of explaining you have to do will lose most of the intended audience.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 3:09 pm:
=The defenders of JB=
What exactly is there to defend? He isn’t on s ingle email. Nothing exchanged on any email. The worst tthe Sullivan crew could say is that a Pritzker staffer was polite to McClain and he complimented the staffer. How scandalous.
- Scott Fawell's Cellmate - Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 3:41 pm:
“Yeah, McClain did not like Caprara. But she was disliked by many elected officials.”
Understatement of the Year.
- walker - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 8:36 am:
A lot of established pols think they are entitled geniuses — and Caprara calls them out when they’re off base. I admire her for it. I also admire JB for valuing her.