Pritzker takes Madigan questions
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* News media Q&A in DeKalb today with Gov. Pritzker…
Q: When was the last time you spoke with Mike Madigan?
A: On March 1, I called to let him know that we would be making changes at the Illinois Arts Council.
Madigan’s spouse Shirley chairs the Arts Council, so I asked the governor’s office if that means she’s being pushed out. No response yet.
Also, as always, please pardon any transcription errors.
* Back to Q&A…
Q: You spoke voluntarily with federal investigators about the investigation. What do you think that people are going to need to know about the conversation you had?
A: Only that I was asked to be a witness and that they wanted to talk about any interactions. And I was happy to cooperate and answer any and all of their questions. I answered all of them, in fact, and if you want more detail about what those questions were, I’d refer you to the US Attorney’s Office for any additional information about them.
Q: Was it clear to you when you talked to the feds in February that they were poised to indict him?
A: It was not clear to me. I mean, they had questions that were obviously around some wrongdoing, but it was not clear to me that they were prepared to indict.
Q: In your dealings with Madigan, during your time in office, did you ever suspect in hindsight now that anything he was doing was not above board and that there was anything more than what he called routine constituent services?
A: Not from any of the interactions that I had with him. Remember, I was governor. He was Speaker of the House, there was a Senate President, there were leaders across the General Assembly, I needed to work with all of them. And so none of the interactions that I had were anything other than about, you know, things to do with doing the right thing in government for the people.
Q: The special investigative committee that closed the books on the Madigan investigation after ComEd came out. It was chaired by then State Representative Chris Welch. They closed that found and found nothing wrong. Was it a mistake in hindsight not to have Madigan called before and testified based on what we now know that there clearly was wrongdoing?
A: In a way I’d say it’s the reverse of that. That is, I think that they were deferring to the US attorney and to the federal authorities to allow them to make a case, and they clearly did.
* While we’re on that topic, here’s Capitol News Illinois…
On Wednesday after the indictment, Welch began his public remarks by addressing his role as the chair of that committee.
“Let me begin by first saying that, as the former chair of the Special Investigating Committee, I said all along, during the course of that process, that I thought that there was a more appropriate forum to deal with the things that we had been hearing in the public domain,” he said in a news conference outside his Capitol office. “And I thought that forum was the United States Attorney’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office has all the resources that it needs to properly and thoroughly investigate allegations of corruption. I knew that all along.”
Welch said the House has passed ethics reforms since he became speaker and hired a new legislative inspector general. He said he believed he led the investigating committee “openly, honestly and fairly.”
“And we’re going to continue to do that,” he said. “And I think here in the last 13 months, you can speak to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I’ve done it my way. The Chris Welch way. The only way I know how. And it’s a new day in Springfield.”
* Back to Pritzker…
Q: Do you ever remember a conversation where you were asked to find a position for Danny Solis?
A: No.
Q: Since Mike Madigan has had a piece in legislation for the past 50 years, he helped write the modern constitution, what would you say to Illinois, to restore faith in the legislative process?
A: Well remember that the vast majority of the people who serve in the General Assembly and broadly in public office have been doing the right thing and not breaking the law, and doing what they felt was best for the people of the state of Illinois. So I would say that you should look to your local leaders who have been doing the right thing, to your state leaders who are operating above board and trying hard to lift up working families across the state and not line their own pockets. But I have to say just, I’ve said this many times, but it is abhorrent to me when people take public office, either with the purpose of lining their own pockets or stealing from the public or who decided somewhere along the way that that’s okay. That’s abhorrent. We’ve got to root that out. And at every turn, I think it’s all up to all of us who, if we run into situations where we think something’s being done that is improper, please call it out, please let people know. And of course, vote those people out if they are caught doing something wrong, they need to go.
Q: Should Madigan resign from the state central committee?
A: Yes, of course.
Q: There are a number of Democrats who say there still needs to be more work to be done. Do you agree with them, and if so, what more needs to be done in light of what we’ve seen come out of how Madigan… and return to the public trust?
A: I think we all need to examine what the charges are. I will say that the federal authorities, you know, the fact that there are laws that hold people accountable, and that they’re getting held accountable is evidence that, we at least in part, through the justice system, have ways of catching people and holding them accountable. But there is much more to do. And I’ve said that from the very beginning. I’ve been pushing for ethics legislation, we got some of it done. There is more to do. There’s no doubt about it. We got rid of the revolving door. Could we do more in that regard? Sure. We’ve stopped people from lobbying state government when they’re serving in state government. We’ve done a number of things that I think have made things better, but we’ve got much, much more to do and it’s clear from the an indictment like this, that our work is not done.
Q: [Garbled]
A: This should be a wake up call to everybody in public service that you better toe the line, you better do the right thing, you better stand up for the people that you represent and not try to line your own pockets.
* Rep. Kelly Cassidy was asked last night about the inadequacies of the recent ethics legislation…
I think that we took significant steps. There’s always more that can be done. Illinois, for good or for ill, and for some of us it’s a frustration, is an incremental state. But we take steps, we see if they work, we take more steps.
* And this is why the governor was in DeKalb today…
Gov. JB Pritzker made a stop in DeKalb Thursday to tout a plan for funding more Illinois students in higher education, including at Northern Illinois University.
He presented his plan to budget for an additional $200 million in state education funding for grants which make college more affordable for students to address what he called an “exodus on young people” leaving Illinois.
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Campaign notebook
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm…
People who do this politics thing all the time don’t always realize that voters have short memories. Yes, primary voters are higher information voters than general election voters, but the 2018 primary was a long time ago to many people.
* Yikes…
* This is interesting because Rep. Willis, like Villegas, is up against a Chuy Garcia-backed primary opponent…
Today, State Representative Kathleen Willis (IL-77) announced her endorsement of Alderman Gilbert Villegas for Congress in the race for the newly drawn Illinois 3rd Congressional District. Representative Willis is a member of the 19 Illinois State Representatives who opposed Mike Madigan’s re-election to Speaker of the House.
“I am proud to support Gilbert Villegas for Congress because integrity matters when it comes to choosing our elected officials. Not everyone has the courage to do what’s right in politics, but Gilbert has served his country as a Marine, working families as a Teamsters, and his community as a public servant. We can trust him to fight for us,” said Representative Kathleen Willis.
“I am honored to receive the support from a leader like Kathleen Willis. Her bravery under fire demonstrates incredible leadership at a time when people need it most,” said Alderman Gilbert Villegas. “I look forward to working with her to get things done for the people of Illinois.”
State Rep. Kathleen Willis is currently serving in her fifth term representing Illinois’s 77th House District. A full-time legislator with a strong background in education, Willis has worked tirelessly to make sure her constituents’ voices get heard.
Willis marks the twenty second local official who has come out in support of Alderman Villegas.
* Yesterday…
Today, California’s 40th District Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard announced her support for Delia Ramirez in the newly drawn 3rd congressional district.
“As a non-profit leader and state legislator Delia has kept community and service at the forefront of her work, which has made her effective in passing historic legislation. I enthusiastically support her campaign for Congress because I know Delia is the proven fighter her community needs,” said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. “I’m excited to support her candidacy as she fights for working families in Illinois.”
Delia Ramirez is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and the first Guatemalan American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. Ramirez, a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University, has served as the founding executive director of the Center for Changing Lives, former board chair for the Latin United Community Housing Association and Logan Square Neighborhood Association. If elected, Ramirez would be the first Latina to represent a Midwestern state in Congress.
“It is so fitting that we kick off Women’s History Month by earning the endorsement of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who made history by becoming the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. I am honored to have earned her endorsement and look forward to continuing to fight for immigration reform, an issue close to my heart and which Congresswoman Roybal-Allard has led on in Congress ” said Delia Ramirez.
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is the latest to endorse Delia Ramirez. Last month, Delia was supported by Congressmen Jesus Chuy Garcia and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, along with EMILY’s List, Pro-Choice PODER PAC, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Cook County College Teachers Union, and the United Working Families and Working Families Party.
* Speaking of Chuy…
During a telephone interview from Washington on Wednesday, Garcia was asked if he’s giving any thought to another mayoral campaign, particularly if his Democratic Party loses control of the House of Representatives in the November election.
“I am not thinking about that whatsoever and I surely haven’t talked with my wife about it. I’ve got to think that she’d be very reluctant for us to do it, and we do everything together. It’s not on my radar right now. … I treasure that [2015] run. But I was a little younger” then, Garcia said.
“If somebody could show me where there’s a significant pot of gold … to usher in a real era of equity in Chicago, that would be really moving and convincing to me. I don’t see that on the horizon right now. The challenges are just so huge for Chicago. … The job is a huge bear and it will continue to be challenging and torturous on a daily basis, especially as [federal] funding dissipates and goes away. It will make it excruciatingly difficult to govern and provide good news to Chicagoans.”
The fact that the mayor’s job is so bad may turn out to be her best political ally.
* Press release…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) announced he has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters in his re-election campaign. This is LCV’s first endorsement in a member-on-member primary and highlights the urgent need to keep global climate leaders like Rep. Casten in Congress.
“Whether it was as a scientist, a clean energy entrepreneur, or now as a Member of Congress, I have dedicated my entire life to fighting climate change,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “The IPCC report released earlier this week makes it overwhelmingly clear that climate change is the greatest existential crisis we face as a species. Congress must act to address it with the scale and urgency that science has shown is necessary to save our planet. I’m honored to be endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters and will continue to work hand-in-hand with them to ensure we provide a livable planet to our children and grandchildren.”
“Congressman Sean Casten is a tireless and determined advocate for climate action, and we are so proud to support his campaign for reelection,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “It has never been more important to have leaders in Congress who will fight for the transformational climate progress we so desperately need, and we know nobody will fight harder than Rep. Casten.”
“As the most recent IPCC report makes clear, there is no time to waste for a just and equitable transition to clean energy. Representative Sean Casten has worked relentlessly to fight the climate crisis since his first day in Congress,” said Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jennifer Walling. “We are proud to have him leading for our Illinois communities.”
As a member of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Rep. Casten has quickly established himself as one of Congress’ indispensable climate leaders. He has represented the United States on the global climate stage multiple times at COP25 and COP26.
Rep. Casten has passed—and President Biden has signed into law—multiple pieces of climate legislation to lower the carbon footprint of the federal government, invest in clean energy battery storage technologies, and expand Illinois’ electric vehicle charging network.
In 2019 and 2020, the League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund spent over $115 million in support of pro-climate candidates nationwide.
Rep. Casten has previously been endorsed by pro-climate groups like the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition PAC and 314 Action Fund, as well as climate leaders like Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14), the chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
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The 19 talk about doing what’s right
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. Mike Miletich…
The 19 House Democrats who called for Madigan to resign during the ComEd investigation also responded to the indictment Wednesday night. This group was frequently criticized by other veterans in the Democratic caucus for stepping forward to call for change in House leadership.
Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard) recalled her experience calling for the corruption to end in the House during the summer of 2020. She said the 19 stood alongside each other, either in person or through encouraging messages between each other.
“This was not easy for any of us,” Costa Howard said. “But at the end of the day, I know that I can look my daughters in the face and tell them doing what’s right isn’t always easy but doing what’s right is the right thing to do.”
Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said they faced intense pressure to keep the status quo in the chamber, but the 19 couldn’t let that happen.
“This is about Speaker Madigan and what he did, and to what extent he influenced the culture of this building,” Cassidy said. “The first thing you do when you get cancer is you cut out the cancer. Then you treat what happened afterward.”
The 19 said they are still most concerned with how Illinois lawmakers can restore trust in government.
* Hannah Meisel…
“Madigan utilized his position as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois to influence and garner loyalty from legislators by providing or withholding staff and funding to legislators and their campaigns,” the feds alleged.
State Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), who, along with Cassidy was early in calling for Madigan’s resignation after the speaker was named “Public Official A” in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement, was one of those members to whom funding was withheld.
Costa Howard still received some support from Madigan’s deep campaign coffers in 2020, but not nearly as much as her colleagues in similar suburban districts that had historically been GOP territory.
On Wednesday, Costa Howard’s voice wavered in a news conference put on by the group of 19 House Democrats who publicly said prior to last year’s lame duck session that they wouldn’t vote for Madigan as speaker again — a decisive number that ended up attracting even more dissidents to block the speaker’s path.
Watch the full press conference here.
* From the Q&A…
Q: The Republicans just a few minutes ago said that Speaker Welch is Madigan’s hand-picked successor.
[Loud and long laughter from the gathered members]
Rep. Ann Williams: I think we had something to do with Speaker Welch being speaker.
While true that Madigan called Welch to tell him about his plan to suspend his reelection campaign, what’s not widely known is Welch wasn’t the only person to get a heads-up from Madigan.
* The members were also asked about the dangers that Illinois Democrats will face in an election year because of Madigan’s indictment. Rep. Cassidy gave the response…
I think I’d rather focus on what our colleagues would be facing if we hadn’t been successful. And what this day would look like if he were still speaker, the chaos that our work would have been plunged into, the complete lack of any forward motion on any of the issues that we’re working on here. I think that that’s what today’s story is about.
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The new ComEd angle
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s from June of 2018…
It’s a rare day when House Speaker Michael Madigan supports a measure in his chamber and it fails. So what kind of issue could create that scenario? A tax increase? Pension overhaul? Try reforming the electric-supplier industry, which should be ripe for a crackdown since it has caused a large percentage of the Chicago-area customers it serves to pay too much for power over the past few years.
The reform measure, a signature issue for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, fell short by just a few votes late last month thanks to staunch opposition from Exelon, which owns Constellation, the largest alternative electricity supplier in Illinois.
Also helping to defeat the bill was the Illinois Commerce Commission. The ICC, which regulates utilities and suppliers, had advocated for stronger laws but opposed this proposal because of objections to giving greater enforcement responsibilities to the attorney general’s office.
Contributing, too, to the bill’s demise was the neutral position taken by Exelon-owned Commonwealth Edison despite the fact that most consumers buying from alternative suppliers pay more for power than they would with ComEd. ComEd’s downstate counterpart, Ameren Illinois, was a full-throated supporter of the legislation.
* OK, let’s back up. From the indictment…
In or around April 2018, MADIGAN called Individual BM-1 [Juan Ochoa] and advised Individual BM-1 about the expected timing of Individual BM-1’s appointment to the ComEd board of directors.
In or around April 2018, MADIGAN gave McClain permission to work to kill HB 5626 on behalf of ComEd, and ComEd thereafter worked to defeat HB 5626.
On or about May 2, 2018, MADIGAN placed a call to McClain, and after McClain advised MADIGAN that Pramaggiore was experiencing push-back to the appointment of Individual BM-1 to the ComEd board of directors, and had proposed finding a job that would pay Individual BM-1 the same amount of money as a board member, MADIGAN instructed McClain, “Yeah, Mike, I would suggest that we continue to support [Individual BM-1].”
On or about May 16, 2018, McClain placed a telephone call to Pramaggiore during which they discussed preventing HB 5626 from being passed in the Illinois General Assembly.
On or about May 16, 2018, at approximately 10:20 a.m., MADIGAN placed a call to McClain, during which MADIGAN instructed McClain (i) to discuss Individual 23W-1 with Pramaggiore; and (ii) to “go forward with” the appointment of Individual BM-1.
On or about May 16, 2018, McClain placed a telephone call to Pramaggiore, during which call (i) Pramaggiore advised McClain that she had instructed Marquez to “hire” Individual 23W-1 after checking with Doherty; and (ii) McClain informed Pramaggiore that MADIGAN wanted to “keep pressing” for the appointment of Individual BM-1 to the ComEd board of directors, and Pramaggiore agreed to do so.
On or about May 16, 2018, McClain placed a telephone call to Marquez, during which McClain explained why certain individuals were being paid indirectly through JDDA, by making reference to their utility to MADIGAN’s political operation, and advised Marquez that Individual 23W-1 should be paid $5,000 a month. […]
On or about May 18, 2018, McClain caused an email to be sent to Pramaggiore, Hooker, and other ComEd employees referencing HB 5626 that noted “a friend of ours” had authorized McClain to “go ahead and kill it.”
On or about June 20, 2018, McClain placed a telephone call to Hooker, during which McClain stated that MADIGAN was the person who first “warned” them about HB 5626 and that MADIGAN had given ComEd permission to work to “kill” the legislation.
On or about June 29, 2018, Doherty caused an email to be sent to a ComEd employee, which made it falsely appear that the justification for an additional $5,000 a month sought under JDDA’s revised contract was because JDDA would assume an “expanded role with Cook County Board President’s office and Cook County Commissioners and Department Heads,” when in fact the additional $5,000 a month in compensation sought was intended for payment to Individual 23W-1, who performed little or no work for JDDA or ComEd. […]
On or about July 17, 2018, McClain placed a telephone call to Pramaggiore during which Pramaggiore told McClain that “we’re moving forward with [Individual BM-1]” and that McClain could tell MADIGAN. […]
On or about December 5, 2018, Marquez placed a call to McClain, during which call McClain authorized Marquez to “get rid” of Individual FR-1, meaning ComEd could discontinue making payments to Individual FR-1.
On or about December 6, 2018, McClain sent an email to Marquez and others at ComEd, in which McClain advised, in reference to the ComEd Internship Program, “I am pretty sure the ‘ask’ will be to ‘put aside’ or ‘save’ ten summer jobs for the 13th Ward.”
On or about December 7, 2018, MADIGAN placed a call to McClain, during which call MADIGAN instructed McClain to have ComEd discontinue its indirect payments to Individual 13W-3. […]
On or about February 11, 2019, McClain placed a telephone call to Hooker and the two men discussed that MADIGAN was informed of the plan to have ComEd pay Individual 13W-1 indirectly through Doherty’s lobbying firm and MADIGAN “thought it was great.”[…]
On or about February 18, 2019, Pramaggiore participated in a telephone call with Marquez, during which call, after she was told that the subcontractors associated with Doherty just “collect a check” and that Marquez needed to brief the chief executive officer of ComEd concerning the JDDA contract, Pramaggiore advised Marquez not to make any changes to the contract, because “we do not want to get caught up in a, you know, disruptive battle where, you know, somebody gets their nose out of joint and we’re trying to move somebody off, and then we get forced to give ’em a five- year contract because we’re in the middle of needing to get something done in Springfield.”
* Crain’s yesterday…
As it turned out, a bill very much like that—known now as the HEAT Act—passed the following year with the support of ComEd parent Exelon. But the circumstances, like most energy legislation in Springfield, were complicated.
ComEd, along with downstate utility Ameren Illinois, tried to tie passage of the supplier reforms to an extension of their formula rate-setting authority, which was (and still is) set to expire at the end of 2022. The new system essentially eliminated the Illinois Commerce Commission’s authority to set electricity delivery rates, instead changing them via an annual formula that the utilities wanted extended for another 10 years.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who took the lead in 2019 on the supplier crackdown, refused to allow his bill to be tied to the formula rate extension. To the surprise of veteran observers of Illinois energy politics, ComEd’s priority stalled while Raoul’s bill passed.
Later, it became clear why. In May 2019, the FBI raided the home of McClain, as well as other close associates of Madigan’s. That news became public in the summer, but no one knew of those actions in May as the spring session wound down. Madigan obviously did.
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The Danny Solis angle
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The [Madigan] indictment was built, in part, on the work of former longtime Chicago City Council member Danny Solis (25th) whose cooperation with federal prosecutors was first exposed by the Chicago Sun-Times in January 2019, and who helped the feds build a similar indictment against Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), the longest-serving member of the council.
The Sun-Times also exclusively reported in January 2019 on an affidavit detailing the investigation that led to Solis’ cooperation. That document revealed that the feds secretly recorded Madigan in his law office at Madigan & Getzendanner in August 2014. Court records filed in connection with Madigan’s indictment Wednesday confirm the investigation goes back to the same year.
In March 2019, the Sun-Times also reported on a potential deal involving Solis and a Chinatown parking lot that is now part of Madigan’s indictment.
* Mark Brown…
We know from previous reporting that McClain’s phones were tapped and that former 25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis also was caught on wiretaps with Madigan even before he turned FBI mole. The indictment makes clear that after Solis began cooperating he turned his sights on Madigan as well as since-indicted 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke. […]
There are also new schemes involving Solis’ efforts to set up Madigan, offering to help him get private legal business by squeezing businesses that needed the alderman’s help at the City Council to hire Madigan’s firm, which specializes in helping reduce real estate taxes. Solis told Madigan he wanted a state appointment in return, and the speaker allegedly agreed to help.
My favorite part of the indictment involved Solis telling Madigan he’d made it clear to the representatives of one company that this would require a “quid pro quo.” At first Madigan allegedly responded: “Okay . . . very good.”
But later Madigan allegedly advised Solis not to use the phrase “quid pro quo” the next time he spoke to the business people he was shaking down on the speaker’s behalf, instead offering a more elegant pretext.
“You’re just recommending . . . because if they don’t get a good result on their real estate taxes, the whole project will be in trouble . . . Which is not good for your ward. So you want high quality representation.”
* Illinois Public Radio…
To help boost business for his firm, Madigan allegedly agreed to help then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis (25) get appointed to a state board — a job that ideally would pay more than $100,000 annually — in exchange for Solis steering clients to Madigan & Getzendanner.
As part of that agreement, Solis — then the chair of the city council’s zoning committee — floated a complicated plan to transfer a parcel of state-owned land in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood to the city, which the city would then turn around and sell to developers looking to build a hotel. Solis would strongly advise those developers to retain Madigan’s firm.
Both the plan to appoint Solis to a state board and the scheme pass legislation to sell the land in Chinatown hit major snags, never coming to fruition. But what Madigan didn’t know was that Solis was cooperating with the feds and had secretly recorded multiple conversations with the speaker while talking about plans to drive business to Madigan’s law firm.
In one such conversation in 2017, Solis updated Madigan about the progress of an apartment project, telling the speaker that the developer seemed to be open to retaining Madigan & Getzendanner for help.
* Block Club Chicago…
In one case in June 2017, Madigan asked then-Ald. Danny Solis — who was chair of the city’s zoning committee — to introduce him to the representative of a company that needed to get a zoning change through City Council, according to the indictment. Madigan wanted to “seek business” for his law firm, according to the indictment.
Solis told Madigan representatives of the company would meet with the then-speaker so Madigan could try to get business for his law firm — and the company still needed to “deal with” the alderman for its zoning change, according to the indictment. […]
Also in 2017, a group that wanted to develop a hotel in Chinatown needed to get the state to transfer its ownership of a plot of land to the city so the group could then get it and develop it, according to the indictment. Madigan agreed to use his position to support the passage of legislation that would transfer the land to the city; in exchange, work would be steered toward his law firm, according to the indictment.
“In the past, I have been able to steer some work to Mike [Madigan], and these guys will do the same thing,” Solis told McClain in that case, according to the indictment. McClain then agreed that would Madigan would help get the land transferred to the city, according to prosecutors.
Solis also told Madigan that, if Madigan helped transfer the land, the developers would “appreciate it” and would give Madigan’s firm tax work, according to the indictment. “OK, all right, very good,” Madigan said, according to prosecutors.
* Tribune…
Then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who was secretly cooperating with the investigation, recorded numerous conversations with Madigan as part of the Chinatown land probe, including one where the speaker told Solis he was looking for a colleague to sponsor a House bill approving the land sale.
“I have to find out about who would be the proponent in the House,” Madigan allegedly told Solis in the March 2018 conversation. “We gotta find the appropriate person for that. I have to think it through.”
Like the state appointment Solis wanted, that bill went nowhere.
* From the indictment…
It was further part of the scheme that, on or about November 2, 2018, MADIGAN told McCLAIN that “we never settled on a sponsor” for the bill concerning the transfer of the Chinatown parcel, and MADIGAN told McCLAIN that Representative B would be a suitable sponsor for the bill in the House of Representatives because Representative B’s seat was within the Senate district that included the Chinatown parcel. […]
It was further part of the scheme that, on or about November 21, 2018, McCLAIN advised Alderman A that a “major hurdle” to passage of legislation concerning the Chinatown parcel had arisen, in that the Illinois Secretary of State had received petitions from local businesspeople in Chinatown who were opposed to the transfer of the Chinatown parcel, and that the Illinois Secretary of State had reached out to leadership in the Senate to express opposition to the transfer.
It was further part of the scheme that, on or about November 23, 2018, after Alderman A advised MADIGAN that there was opposition to legislation providing for the transfer of the Chinatown parcel and that it was best to wait until after upcoming elections and attempt to pass the legislation in May 2019, MADIGAN agreed to do so.
…Adding… Good point…
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Madigan and his lawyers respond to indictments
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hap tip to Hannah Meisel for the press release…
Statement from Sheldon Zenner and Gil Soffer, Katten attorneys for Michael Madigan
Neither the law nor the facts support these baseless charges, and the evidence will prove it. Mr. Madigan vehemently rejects the notion that he was involved in criminal activity- before, during or after his long career as a public servant. The government’s overreach in charging him with these alleged crimes is groundless, and we intend to prevail in court.
Statement from Mr. Madigan
I was never involved in any criminal activity. The government is attempting to criminalize a routine constituent service: job recommendations. That is not illegal, and these other charges are equally unfounded. Throughout my 50 years as a public servant, I worked to address the needs of my constituents, always keeping in mind the high standards required and the trust the public placed in me. I adamantly deny these accusations and look back proudly on my time as an elected official, serving the people of Illinois.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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McClain responds to new indictment
Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* In all the hullaballoo about Madigan, this is kinda getting lost in the shuffle. Via Politico…
STATEMENT TO THE MEDIA REGARDING NEW INDICTMENT AGAINST MIKE McCLAIN; 3-2-22
The Indictment filed today against Mike McClain by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois is noteworthy in that it is based on many of the same acts that were included in a previous Indictment filed against him in November of 2020. The Government simply repackages these allegations under new theories of wrongdoing.
Added to this legal sleight of hand, the Government now, for the first time, seeks more than $2 million dollars in forfeiture from Mike McClain.
For years, the Government has been trying to force Mike McClain to cooperate in its quest against former Speaker Mike Madigan. These latest charges are nothing more than the Government’s continued attempt to pressure Mike McClain to do the Government’s bidding.
Mike McClain was innocent of the charges when they were first filed in November of 2020. He remains innocent of the recycled and new charges in this latest Indictment. He will never testify falsely about himself or anyone, no matter how many indictments are brought against him. We will fight to prove his innocence
The Government should always seek to justice – to carry out its mission reasonably, equitably, and responsibly. Sadly, it failed to do so today.
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