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ComEd 4 trial coverage roundup
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * You can follow along with the trial all day by clicking here. Those ComEd folks would apparently do almost anything to keep Madigan happy…
That’s quite a constituent service operation. /s * Sun-Times…
* Jay Doherty gives Fidel Marquez the history of his involvement with ComEd. It’s a really interesting video… * Mike McClain and Marquez meet at Saputo’s… * Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it with those guys’: Jurors see undercover videos of Michael Madigan associates in ‘ComEd Four’ trial: The FBI had instructed Marquez to ask Madigan’s associate, Michael McClain, what he should tell ComEd’s new CEO about their scheme to funnel payments to a roster of Madigan-approved allies through a consulting company owned by Jay Doherty, a longtime ComEd contract lobbyist. Marquez’s hidden recorder was rolling as McClain munched on pizza at Saputo’s, a popular restaurant in Springfield frequented by the political crowd — including Madigan himself. * Crain’s | Government mole’s undercover videos star in ‘ComEd Four’ proceedings: In between large bites of pizza, McClain advised Marquez, “I would say to you, don’t do anything in writing.” McClain offered to meet with Dominguez himself to explain how these payments were important to keeping in Madigan’s good graces. Marquez said he’d prefer to do it himself. Last up was Doherty on Feb. 13 in a clip showing that, at the very least, Marquez had mastered the wire technology the FBI had given him. Doherty went through his long history with ComEd, saying at one point, “This is just you and me talking. This (approach with the no-work lobbying subcontractors) all came from McClain, Hooker and Frank.” * ABC Chicago | Secret recordings of utility exec, Springfield operative played in court: “Do they do anything for me on a day-to-day basis? No,” Jay Doherty said during a February 13th meeting. “My bottom line advice would be ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ with those guys.”Doherty went on to tell Marquez to remind the new CEO that their money comes from Springfield. By March, the subcontractor budget had been approved. * Hannah Meisel | ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’: Secretly recorded videos show ComEd lobbyists discussing alleged bribery scheme: “John Hooker calls and said, ‘Jay, I got a sub(contractor) for you…Olivo,” Doherty recalled. “‘We’re going to pay him every month and you just —’ Doherty held up four fingers to indicate the $4,000 monthly stipend Olivo would be paid out of what would eventually become Doherty’s $37,000 per month lobbying contract with ComEd. Doherty would eventually add two of Madigan’s top precinct captains from the speaker’s 13th Ward political base on Chicago’s southwest side: Ray Nice and Ed Moody, at $5,000 and $4,500 monthly, respectively. Zalewski was the last addition after his retirement from the Chicago City Council in the summer of 2018, at $4,000 per month. * NBC Chicago | Jurors See Bodycam Video for State’s Star Witness in ‘ComEd 4′ Trial: As a new CEO was about to take over, government wiretaps played for the jury Monday showed a level of concern about the costs of the program even as Mike McClain and Anne Pramaggiore discussed the hiring for former Chicago Ald. Mike Zalewski. “We got a lot of people hanging out there,” Pramaggiore said. “Is there anybody who, you know, we could sort of take off the roster?” According to Marquez, the so-called “contract lobbyists” did little to no work but were requested by Madigan’s office. * In-person conversation between Michael McClain and Fidel Marquez | ComEd Exhibit 123-T: Michael McClain speaks in-person with Fidel Marquez: “Don’t put anything in writing.”
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- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 9:51 am:
Doherty seems like the useful idiot of the conspiracy. You’d think with all the LCN references, they’d all be a lot more worried about someone broadcasting WRAT.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 9:56 am:
There’s an oddly historic feel to this meeting being recorded at Saputo’s.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:06 am:
== Those ComEd folks would apparently do almost anything to keep Madigan happy… ==
Seems that would have applied to a great many entities that have interactions with state government in some way, shape or form.
- Second place - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:10 am:
It’s one thing for a jury to hear tapped phone conversations. It’s entirely different to see these grainy images with those being recorded using code words of hand signals. It’s quite persuasive to see those being recorded acting like they are trying to conceal their actions or their intent. I wonder how many more video recordings they have? At what point does Doherty realize that he’s the fall guy. Is it too late for him to flip? If he is found guilty, could he then flip on madigan in exchange for lighter sentencing? Would Doherty be required to have specific info on madigan for that deal, or has his ship sailed by not flipping first on McClain, the one individual we know for certain has the goods on madigan. These four are going down. No question.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:16 am:
Doherty’s share was just under 20K a month and he has been working for Com Ed since 1985.
He was useful for sure but I wouldn’t call him an idiot.
He said Madigan was not his best friend, but he was sure treated like one
- Bud's Bar Stool - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:18 am:
=== Doherty seems like the useful idiot of the conspiracy. ===
Sure looks that way in the video. McClain on the other hand, with his coded language (cryptic references to “our friend”) obviously designed to disguise his intent, coupled with explicit direction to not commit matters to writing, seems like anything but.
- Gee Wiz - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:20 am:
Madigan used daughter Nicole as a buffer to ask for special treatment for Tiffany. Wow.
He took a different approach when he wanted to make daughter Lisa a State Senator and the Attorney General. Got directly involved in accomplishing those objectives.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:27 am:
The scheme continued after Prammagiore passed the CEO torch to the former Federal prosecutor Joseph Dominguez who didn’t want to rock the boat.
Why is she charged and he isn’t?
- Homebody - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:27 am:
As soon as I heard they were doing recordings since 2014, I knew these guys were all screwed. It is one thing to have wink-wink, nod-nod relationships with plausible deniability, but once jurors can actually see and hear it themselves, that plausible deniability is completely shattered.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:36 am:
I’m very disturbed by all the Com Ed allegations, but Tiffany and her power (HA) somehow really eats at me. what a baby. what a family.
- TNR - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:43 am:
Interesting tidbit near the end of the McClain video when Marquez complains about Joe Dominguez going around him to hire a new lobbyist for ComEd at the request of Mike Carrigan while Carrigan’s appointment to the ICC was in the works. That’s kinda big, right?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:44 am:
===who didn’t want to rock the boat.===
He went much further than that. He said he understood the purpose, made a favorable analogy and said it was “fine” by him.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:45 am:
CoEd does supply the street juice
- Bud's Bar Stool - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:50 am:
=== The scheme continued after Prammagiore passed the CEO torch to the former Federal prosecutor Joseph Dominguez who didn’t want to rock the boat.
Why is she charged and he isn’t? ===
Would imagine that relates to his knowledge of the arrangement. He apparently though the Madigan cronies were on the payroll for the “magic moment” of lobbying - a common and legitimate practice in lobbying. But did the others have knowledge that those cronies were on the payroll solely for the purpose of patronage and not because they actually would do anything useful?
For that matter, how did Frank Clark escape the feds’ net? Doherty mentions Clark a couple times in the above video and appears to be saying the no-show-job scheme traced back to him.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:51 am:
===That’s kinda big, right? ===
Nope. Dominguez is on tape later denying to Marquez that there was any ask from Carrigan.
Try harder, hater.
- Cool Papa Bell - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 10:58 am:
=7:22=
“Joe is funny about conversations that you and I might have that he isn’t aware of.”
“Funny like…”
“Joe will probably think we are plotting against him”
Mercy - table talk at a Saputo’s.
All I’m missing is Frank and Dean playing louder in the background.
- TNR - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 11:02 am:
== Why is she charged and he isn’t? ==
A cynic might argue that as a former federal prosecutor Dominguez is a member of the club and got a pass.
It seems to me bringing the ICC into this, as I mentioned above, would be hugely consequential — just as consequential as corruptly influencing the speaker of the House is. Yet the feds apparently did not travel down that path with their investigation and prosecution. Curious.
- TNR - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 11:04 am:
== Dominguez is on tape later denying to Marquez that there was any ask from Carrigan. ==
Did not know that. Thanks.
Hater? That’s kinda harsh.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 11:09 am:
So does Madigan tell McClain to call Joe McMahon when Tiffany’s car won’t start?
- Back to the Future - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 11:26 am:
Not surprised, but I found it interesting that Doherty brought up a meeting for Marquez to attend with Pritzker and a few of his Deputy Governors.
I think this should go in the old “..the more things change the more they stay the same” folder.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 11:37 am:
Love to hear the wire tap from that lunch
- low level - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 12:13 pm:
Having his kids brought into it has to be like a gut punch for Madigan. Its no secret that he always did everything possible to try and shield the kids and the Mrs as a friend deeply involved back in the day always called her. Ouch.
- Bucknell - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 12:15 pm:
“Would imagine that relates to his knowledge of the arrangement. He apparently though the Madigan cronies were on the payroll for the “magic moment” of lobbying - a common and legitimate practice in lobbying.”
Read the transcript. He’s briefed on the scheme in its entirety and chooses to go along with it based on his belief that it’s part of a loose lobbying strategy.
- Bud's Bar Stool - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 12:45 pm:
=== Read the transcript. ===
I did and it appears from his remarks that Dominguez had the impression that the Madigan cronies would bring value to the lobbying effort at the appropriate time:
DOMINGUEZ: And, available when we need some help, right?
McCLAIN: Mm-hmm.
He wasn’t “briefed on the scheme in its entirety” if McClain and Marquez failed to mention that there was no expectation that the cronies would actually do any meaningful work (if in fact that was the case) and, indeed, McClain with his “Mm-hmm” appeared to deliberately, if very gently, mislead Dominguez.
- low level - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 12:50 pm:
These videos are inflicting a lot of damage imo. I’m sure it was tough for them but anyone who agreed to flip and work for the USAtty absolutely did the right thing.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 1:55 pm:
The conspiracy is clear - but Jay does look like the useful idiot to McClain, Hooker, and ComEd. I hope he’s not hiding anything, and if he is, he needs to give it up. He doesn’t deserve to be treated the same as those behind the conspiracy. He was just a tool…
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 2:58 pm:
===He was just a tool…===
As he said, he likes the game. Well, now you’re in the game.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 3:06 pm:
Jay has a burden of guilt here… but he has also done a lot of good. Fundraising for the Special Olympics is a prime example. I don’t recall anything remotely similar from the conspirators. It doesn’t make any of it ok… but Jay shouldn’t hide anything to protect these guys…. He’s one that could salvage his life, if it’s not already too late.
- Joe Schmoe - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 3:06 pm:
It looks like McClain probably asked for (and got) Madigan’s table for his Saputo’s lunch. Must be a power-ego thing.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 3:11 pm:
People were seated at the table often, and then asked to move if “himself” came in. Been there, done that…
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 3:17 pm:
===(and got) Madigan’s table ===
That ain’t Madigan’s table.
- Sue - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 4:41 pm:
Lawful lobbying doesn’t include setting up a $450k annual contract the majority of which is used to funnel payments to ghost payrollees who are understood to be Madigan favorites and whom need not perform any services. This alone is sufficient to result in guilty verdicts. The fact that Ann P inherited this scheme is unfortunate. Assuming this was all set up and permitted by Rowe and Clarke would suggest they skated on the statute of limitations. Ann P seems to have been a naive minnow swimming in shark infested waters - the 200 million payment ComEd paid to escape its own liability was too little by a zero
- low level - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 5:46 pm:
==Read the transcript.==
Where can I find it?
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Mar 29, 23 @ 6:25 pm:
“The 200 million payment ComEd paid to escape…”
Written off as the cost of doing business…incredibly profitable business.