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Report: FBI raids McClain’s house

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Illinois

* Speaker Madigan’s best friend and the insider’s insider…

The FBI has raided the downstate home of a high-powered former Springfield lobbyist who for decades served as one of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s closest confidants, the Chicago Tribune has learned.

The raid of Mike McClain’s home in Quincy took place in mid-May, around the same time the FBI executed search warrants at the homes of two other Madigan associates — former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski and political operative Kevin Quinn, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

It’s unclear what agents were looking for when they searched McClain’s house in Quincy, which is about 100 miles west of Springfield along the Mississippi River.

But the search warrant indicates that federal investigators are probing connections to possible criminal acts by some in Madigan’s inner circle. To obtain a search warrant, federal law enforcement must convince a judge there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed and that evidence of that crime exists in the home.

McClain, 71, who retired in 2016 after years as a top Capitol lobbyist, declined to comment in an emailed response to the Tribune on Wednesday.

There can be no doubt that the G has its sights set on Madigan.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:13 pm

Comments

The government doesn’t always git what they aim at, but this can’t be good news.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:19 pm
===this can’t be good news===

Unless you’re Jason Gonzales… /s

Comment by OutOfState Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:21 pm
Feds have a habit of creating a crime out of whatever they think they find. Not great confidence in such an unfocused, seemingly political based fishing expedition.

Comment by d. p. gumby Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:22 pm
A close reading of Danny Solis’ search warrant suggests Rich is right. Mike Madigan has been targeted.

https://overpaidgov.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-unsealed-affidavit-detailing-feds.html

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:25 pm
Wonder if today the apple was eaten, or thrown against the wall…

Comment by Fav Human Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:25 pm
Didn’t we know this last week? Where’s the new information here?

Comment by Suzzz Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:27 pm
==taps fingers like Mr. Burns==

Exxxxxxcellent

Comment by Romeo Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:28 pm
Gumby, that’s hilarious. I would love to be there when you tell MJM not to worry.

Comment by Threat level midnight Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:30 pm
Wonder how many other folks got a visit from the feds in mid May?

Comment by OneMan Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:30 pm
Mike Madigan and the nothing and nobody he controls? Why would the G care about him? It’s a mystery

Comment by JB13 Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:31 pm
Didn’t I read the other day, that Madigan’s legal expenses were $1.2m ish?

Hope he saved for a few extra rainy days.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:32 pm
Bruce Rauner begins smiling a bit in Italy

Comment by Wowzers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:33 pm
Welcome to the party, pal.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:34 pm
This is the big one. I would hesitate about anyone crowing about anything right now.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:40 pm
What? Dirty politics in Illinois? Nah. Can’t be.

Comment by Generic Drone Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:40 pm
Steve -
Part 4, page 39 of 43, (remember this is from 2016) lists a phone registered to “Daniel Solis” at a residential address in Oak Forest. Relative?Residence fraud?

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:42 pm
===Didn’t we know this last week?===

No.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:42 pm
The key thing to understand about this story is we are finding out about it now. It’s July. Somebody might be cooperating if we didn’t find out about in May.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:44 pm
===Somebody might be cooperating if we didn’t find out about in May===

How do you figure?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:44 pm
I just hope this ensnares Dorothy Brown.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:45 pm
Just wondering how this process works: Are the Feds issuing search warrants in three independent investigations because they’re claiming they think Quinn, Zalewski and now McClain have potentially committed a crime? Or have they spelled out somewhere they are, in fact, investigating Madigan?

Comment by Seeking context Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:46 pm
- Anyone Remember -

I don’t know what that means other then to tell you that FBI search warrant is about actions before he started cooperating.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:47 pm
Rich

Most likely , some reporter/reporters would have heard about the raid in May if he wasn’t. I believe the media knew about Pete Andrews the day of the raid because he wasn’t cooperating.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:49 pm
The G squeezes who they believe can help most.

That’s the playbook

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:53 pm
Steve -
Could all of this kicked off with the Feds leveraging Solis over residency? And, to quote from the pilot for Law & Order:
“You never know whose pants are going to get dropped in a corruption scandal.”

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:55 pm
===because he wasn’t cooperating===

Um, no.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:55 pm
This is going to be an interesting year or two or three or more. Anyway, for those who haven’t subscribed to Capitol Fax: you’ll regret not doing it in the coming months/years because there a lot Illinois political news you’ll need to know about . Rich didn’t tell me to say this . I’m just telling you things will not be dull.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 1:59 pm
Little perspective?

Dorothy Brown is working on 5 years being under at least a cloud.

I’m going to watch to see what *does* happen.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:02 pm
They’ll be writing about Madigan for decades after he’s gone. And in all likelihood, they’ll be writing that he was never charged.

Comment by SSL Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:02 pm
OW makes a good point. Dorothy Brown hasn’t been indicted for anything.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:05 pm
While we don’t seem to have the exact dates, this has the feel of a coordinated raid in May on multiple points simultaneously, all apparently aimed at the same target.

And to get a search warrant in the first place, the feds have to have enough cause to believe they will find evidence of a crime at the location of the raid. So at a minimum, the Feds clearly think they have something — if not on Madigan, then at least on the three targets of the raid.

The question I’m most interested in? Who else got raided that we don’t know about yet?

Comment by ILPundit Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:10 pm
Wonder if MJM will be hiring the law firm that defended Aaron Schock?

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:20 pm
===this can’t be good news.===

Except for the rest of us.

Comment by Token Conservative Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:31 pm
Kass indicated the Feds have placed a huge target on Madigan.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:31 pm
The reputation that led to that eponymous horseshoe award seems to have gotten some cheese sauce splattered on McClain.

Comment by My New Handle Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:32 pm
== Kass indicated the Feds have placed a huge target on Madigan. ==

Oh, well now it’s news!

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:32 pm
===Kass indicated the Feds have placed a huge target on Madigan.===

“Kass got that from someone in Governor Lisa Madigan’s inner-circle.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:33 pm
Kass probably didn’t get any information from Luis Gutierrez, the CNN contributor who’s been very quiet on the subject of ICE raids and other kinds of raids lately.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:41 pm
After watching Trump wiggle out of investigations and make claims of dark state conspiracies, it will be interesting to see what strategy Madigan deploys.
Obviously, he does not have presidential privilege. But one has to believe the local feds would see him as a trophy. Doesn’t mean they’ll be successful.

Comment by Medvale School for the Gifted Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:43 pm
“Kass indicated the Feds have placed a huge target on Madigan.”

Well thank God for John Kass or the rest of us never could have figured that one out.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:44 pm
I hope that Mike is holding on to that rosary. 🙏🙏🙏

Comment by Catholic Boy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:51 pm
OW, or did you mean Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, the real governor of Illinois?

Still, if I were Madigan, the Dorothy Brown comparison wouldn’t exactly be comforting.

Comment by Marty Funkhouser Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:54 pm
===…did you mean Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, the real governor of Illinois?===

“Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, (D - How You Doin’)”

- Kass, probably

Still, the thought of Rod thinking DeLeo was pranking him when the Feds called that morning… that’s priceless.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:56 pm
- Marty Funkhouser -

Jimmy DeLeo is a very sensitive name to bring up. He’s a true legend. He’s a name from Operation Greyland. Got to wonder if Danny Solis investigation could be as big as Greylord?

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:58 pm
== Operation Greylord ==

Burke’s defense attorneys were the AUSAs prosecuting Operation Greylord, which is enough to make anyone a cynic.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:05 pm
McClain was deeply involved with Pritzker on behalf of. Madigan throughout the campaign and into the administration. I would love to see who McClain installed into the new administration and what other issues he weighed in on. Pritzker kept hiding behind his statement that he doesn’t pick who is speaker to justify his interaction and reliance on the speaker. The truth is we all knew the speaker was questionable just like we all knew Blago was questionable. Despite that and Up until the end for both, JB continued to work with both. Perhaps a person of greater conviction would have distanced himself from Blago earlier. Perhaps a person of greater conviction should have distanced himself from Madigan. It seems like Pritzker either can’t see the warning signs or is so entitled he doesn’t care.

Comment by Botterman Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:06 pm
- Three Dimensional Checkers -
My bad. I had typo in there on Greylord. What will be interesting to see is if the Jenner and Block crowd stays on through the entire legal process.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:15 pm
Oh. My. God.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:24 pm
Botterman,

That’s some grade A conspiracy theory fantasy stuff, there.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:25 pm
I just realized. Botterman, should we just call you by your real name, John Kass?

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:27 pm
forgot reading the search warrant that Roberto Caldero was named. long ago and on a list of people who worked for Luis Gutierrez.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:28 pm
When I think of a raid I think of the Feds going in and hauling away boxes, computers, phones, filing cabinets, etc. etc. These raids from a few months ago all must have been pretty small otherwise we would have heard about them already. I’m guessing they were looking for something very specific?

Comment by Just Me 2 Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:30 pm
===Still, the thought of Rod thinking DeLeo was pranking him when the Feds called that morning… that’s priceless.====
I always kinda thought Blagojevich got pranked by DeLeo. How he stayed unscathed surprised me. But that is just speculation.

Comment by Been There Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:31 pm
It may not be that the raids were small, but we may not have heard about them because they were private residences. Bit different than showing up at public offices because someone who sees it would tip off the media.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:41 pm
Steve, I thought J&B only represented Republicans. .

Comment by Nieva Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:41 pm
Been There -
“How he stayed unscathed surprised me.”
A side benefit of registering your vehicles at the residence of Janis Cellini? (That was a Kass nugget, one of the very few that exist.)

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:44 pm
I don’t think there is anything significant about the media finding out about the searches a few weeks after they took place. Do people think that McClain or Zalewski were going to tell people the FBI raided their houses?

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:46 pm
40+ Years of Madigan shenanigans yielded nothing.

Then we get a new governor and all of a sudden the Feds are raiding the homes of Madigan’s cronies.

Kinda weird, huh?

Comment by Occam Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:49 pm
Is it just a coincidence that JB’s use for the Speaker has ended and now the Feds move in? I think not. “Uneasy is the head that wears the crown” and he will tolerate no rivals. Welcome to the State of Pritzker.

Comment by Cirion Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:02 pm
Are we at the part in the film where “folks” think Pritzker runs the Department of Justice under President Trump and is orchestrating things in Illinois?

That’s where the screenplay gets off the rails, but…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:04 pm
Was there a great deal on tin foil hats on Amazon Prime day? Some comedy gold in these conspiracy theories today.

Comment by Red Ranger Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:05 pm
===Is it just a coincidence that JB’s use for the Speaker has ended and now the Feds move in? ====
Um, these raids happened in May. Right in the middle of session. And I think J.B. needed some help for all the heavy lifting he wanted by the end of session. We may have just found out about them but I’m sure the speaker didn’t.

Comment by Been There Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:08 pm
===JB’s use for the Speaker has ended and now the Feds move in? I think not.===

I really hope that was meant as snark because, man, you’re stupid if that was what you really believe.

“Hi, Mr. President? It’s JB. No, JB. Yeah, the guy who calls you a racist in public at least twice a week. I was wondering if you could remove a stone from my shoe…”

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:17 pm
You are obviously not familiar with the secret Billionaire Boys Club that meets at JB’s new Palm Beach horse farm on Tuesdays.

OK, I’ll stop before I get banned.

Comment by Cirion Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:26 pm
Madigan is definitely a target in this so far not fully known web of federal investigations, but there is no indication that he is the target in any of it. The are a few revealed figures in politics, business, and government caught up so far, but I don’t think anyone knows what lead to the investigation or who or what is the target.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 4:37 pm
- Nieva -

Jenner and Block has had a relationship with Alderman Burke for decades.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 5:03 pm
The waiting game begins…

Comment by CubsFan16 Friday, Jul 19, 19 @ 8:32 am