* Sun-Times…

Federal jurors Wednesday heard Michael J. Madigan’s allies talking on secret FBI recordings about an “old-fashioned patronage system,” the need to keep Madigan “happy” in Springfield and how it’s unwise to “put anything in writing” because “all that can do is hurt ya.”

All told, prosecutors spent their day playing more than a dozen recordings in the corruption trial of Madigan, Illinois’ former longtime House speaker. Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, who wore a wire for the FBI in 2019, continued to occupy the witness stand.

Jurors saw their first undercover video recordings since testimony began. Included were some of the most prominent recordings from 2023’s ComEd bribery trial, and Marquez’s testimony mirrored the comments he delivered then.

Jurors saw grainy video of Madigan ally Michael McClain meeting inside Saputo’s restaurant, a well-known Springfield haunt where “Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson could be heard in the background. They also saw then-City Club President Jay Doherty hold up four fingers to signal that former 13th Ward Ald. Frank Olivo was being paid $4,000 a month by ComEd.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Earlier in their conversation, McClain affirmed Marquez’s concern that Dominguez may view Doherty’s contract through the lens of his former job as a federal prosecutor and start asking questions. In that case, McClain said, Marquez should explain how valuable the subcontractors were to Madigan’s political organization, adding that the arrangement was a “favor.”

McClain also explained that by using Doherty’s contract to pay the Madigan allies, ComEd had insulation from any federal tax investigation “if the IRS ever comes in and says, ‘Who are these guys and what do they do?’”

“It’s Doherty’s contract, so Doherty’s the one that has to – has to prove that,” he said.

McClain then offered to talk to Dominguez himself. After initially declining the help because the matter was internal to ComEd and McClain’s involvement might be seen as “inappropriate,” Marquez invited McClain to a meeting with Dominguez and Hooker in early March 2019.

* Courthouse News…

In another February 2019 meeting Marquez recorded with McClain and Hooker, Marquez floated the possibility that Dominguez, a former federal prosecutor, would reject the arrangement ComEd reached with Doherty and Madigan’s Chicago associates.

Hooker warned that Madigan — whom Marquez referred to as “our friend” in the video — may not be so supportive of the energy company’s work in Springfield if that was the case.

“You’re not going to do it? You’re not going to do something for me, I don’t have to do anything for you,” Hooker imagined the then-speaker might think.

As it turned out, the worry was unfounded. Marquez and McClain spoke with Dominguez in early March 2019, and when Marquez breached the issue, Dominguez was amenable to maintaining the arrangement with Doherty and the Chicago subcontractors. He said lobbyists often seem like they’re doing nothing until “the magic moment,” and agreed with Marquez that in that moment they may be worth “a hundred times” what they’re being paid.

* Tribune…

The meeting recorded by Marquez in Doherty’s downtown office took place a little over a month after he’d agreed to cooperate with the FBI. As a pretense for the discussion, Marquez said he needed guidance on what to tell incoming ComEd CEO Joseph Dominguez about the off-the-books subcontractor arrangement.

Doherty, who on the video appears pink-faced and jovial, explained to Marquez repeatedly that the subcontractors — who included precinct captains Ray Nice and Ed Moody and former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski — did basically nothing. He rarely even communicated with them, he said.

“They keep their mouth shut,” he said. “But do they, do they do anything for me on a day-to-day basis? No.”

But, Doherty said, it was important to keep the arrangement going in order to maintain good relations with Madigan, Doherty said on the video.

“To keep Mike Madigan happy, I think it’s worth it,” he said. “I don’t think I’d tinker with that.”