With the grand jury investigation on the Commonwealth Edison bribery probe still open, 2022 is certain to bring more speculation over whether Michael Madigan will ever be charged.
The year began with pressure mounting on Michael Madigan, the then-powerful House speaker whose ironclad grip on the General Assembly was slipping after being exposed the previous summer as “Public Official A” in the ComEd scandal and again in a bombshell postelection indictment of a key player and others alleging ComEd paid bribes to win his influence in Springfield.
But if history is any guide, the ComEd case appears to be progressing in similar fashion as many big political corruption probes that have come before it, with a prominent politician tacitly identified in indictments against associates and underlings, a sure sign investigators are trying to work their way up the political food chain.
Much of the evidence in the case has already been laid out in the indictment brought in November 2020 against Madigan’s longtime confidante, Michael McClain, and three others who allegedly helped orchestrate the bribery campaign: former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, lobbyist John Hooker and consultant Jay Doherty, the former head of the City Club of Chicago. All four have pleaded not guilty to bribery conspiracy charges.
Before that happens, U.S. District Judge Harold Leinenweber is expected to rule in the coming months on several defense motions challenging the evidence in the case, including allegations that prosecutors misused the federal bribery statute by trying to criminalize legal lobbying and consulting. “Even Abraham Lincoln, renowned for his honesty, made job recommendations while serving as president,” their motion stated.
In their most recent filing last month, prosecutors wrote they are not required to prove that ComEd intended to bribe Madigan for support on any particular legislation, but rather provided an ongoing “stream of benefits” to him in hopes it would help the company with its overall legislative agenda. that prosecutors had failed to present to the grand jury any evidence that jobs, internships or board seats mentioned in the indictment were not bona fide.
After losing the speakership, Madigan suffered more political embarrassment by handpicking his successor from his 13th Ward organization, only to have to immediately force him out when the ex-speaker learned of “alleged questionable conduct.”
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