‘You’re a street fighter,’ Madigan confidant counseled former speaker: wiretapped call

‘You’re a street fighter,’ Madigan confidant counseled former speaker: wiretapped call
Spread the love

By HANNAH MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
[email protected]

CHICAGO – Facing a perceived betrayal during a make-or-break election season in 2018, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called the person he often sought counsel from: longtime friend and confidant Mike McClain.

Several Democratic candidates running for the state Senate were using lines in their campaign ads explicitly calling for “term limits for leaders like Mike Madigan.” The candidates all used that same exact phrase in materials paid for by a fund run by Madigan’s counterpart in the other chamber of the legislature, then-Senate President John Cullerton.

McClain advised Madigan to not do anything – at least for 24 to 48 hours, while the speaker’s “agents” stepped in to “give (Cullerton) body blows,” according to a September 2018 recording of a wiretapped phone call that was played for a federal jury on Monday in a case where McClain and three others stand accused of bribing the former speaker.

As one of Madigan’s “agents,” he’d already sent Cullerton a text, he told Madigan. But he advised Madigan to approach Cullerton about the ads “sooner rather than later,” and gave him a vote of confidence.

“I mean, I know you got a law degree but you’re more of a street fighter than anybody knows, except for maybe guys like me,” McClain told his friend. “And if you want to put the squeeze on the guy you could hurt him pretty badly.”

Eventually the ads were nixed from the air after pressure from Democrats’ most consistent campaign funder, organized labor.

McClain, a longtime contract lobbyist for electric utility Commonwealth Edison, is facing bribery and racketeering charges along with two other former ComEd lobbyists – John Hooker and Jay Doherty – and the utility’s former CEO, Anne Pramaggiore.

On Monday, jurors in the case heard 16 more recordings from McClain’s wiretapped phone in 2018 and 2019, along with testimony from one of the FBI agents charged with investigating Madigan as far back as 2014. They also heard lengthy questioning of a ComEd executive not involved with the alleged bribery, and a current Democratic House member.

State Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, testified that in the 18 years he and Madigan overlapped in the House, he’d been loyal to the former speaker. But he also pulled no punches when describing how the former speaker exercised his power over both the Illinois House and through his vast political reach as chairman of the state’s Democratic Party.

“Through fear and intimidation,” Rita said.

And when asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker if he’d personally experienced that aggressive tactic, Rita responded, “yes.”

Rita, who was first elected to the House in 2002, now serves as the chair of the House’s powerful Executive Committee, and in 2016 he sponsored the Future Energy Jobs Act – one of ComEd’s signature legislative initiatives at the heart of the government’s case against the utility’s ex-lobbyists and CEO.

Prosecutors had also wanted to question Rita about his sponsorship of major gambling expansion legislation, and in court filings had contended Madigan once pointed to McClain in a meeting and told Rita, “he will guide you.”

But Judge Harry Leinenweber prohibited the government from introducing the gambling legislation issue to the jury, siding with the defense that the testimony would be “prejudicial.”

Rita testified that Madigan “had total control” over both the Illinois House and the state party, and one of the reasons for that political control was that the speaker “was very good at raising money.”

Without Madigan’s political help, “it could be very, very difficult” for a Democratic candidate to win a seat in the House, Rita said.

Rita’s testimony began late Monday afternoon and is expected to continue Tuesday morning.

Earlier in the day, the jury heard lengthy testimony from Scott Vogt, ComEd’s current vice president of strategy, energy policy and revenue initiatives.

Prosecutors questioned Vogt to establish basic history for the jury about ComEd’s business over the last two decades. Vogt went in depth about how the utility had been preparing for possible bankruptcy in 2006.

ComEd’s financial position had been “dire,” Vogt said, as a result of a rate freeze put into place alongside Illinois’ electricity deregulation law in 2007. Because ComEd couldn’t increase what it was charging customers in accordance with the cost of energy the utility was buying, Vogt said ComEd couldn’t make investments necessary to improve reliability for customers.

In 2006, ComEd executives were worried that a bill to extend the rate freeze would pass the legislature. But the utility scored a win in Springfield and ComEd was allowed to seek a rate increase in 2007, after the original 10-year rate freeze expired.

But just because the rate freeze was over didn’t mean the utility could get the rate increases it was seeking. ComEd went before the Illinois Commerce Commission three times in the next five years and each of the 11-month processes yielded a rate increase far short of the $300 million hike the utility requested.

ComEd’s 2007 rate increase case, for example, ended with the ICC only approving an $8 million increase in electric rates – less than 3 percent of what the utility said it needed. Their next attempt yielded $73 million in rate increases, still far short of the figure ComEd believed was necessary.

ComEd’s lobbying efforts scored the utility a few more wins in the next few years. Those included laws like the Illinois Power Agency Act in 2007 and a 2009 law that allowed the utility to recoup the costs of “bad debt,” where ComEd had given up on trying to chase payments from customers who hadn’t paid their electric bills. Both laws helped improve ComEd’s bottom line.

But the utility’s fortunes really turned with the passage of the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act in 2011 – another of the laws central to the government’s theory of ComEd’s alleged bribery scheme. Included in that law, also known as “Smart Grid” legislation, was an overhaul of the way consumer electric rates were calculated. The new process, known as formula ratemaking, created a new tool for ComEd to recoup what it said was the true cost of running and improving electric service for its customers in northern Illinois.

Formula ratemaking, unlike traditional ratemaking, provided for more stable revenues for the utility, Vogt said, and allowed ComEd to massively upgrade its infrastructure and save customers money. Watchdog groups dispute the utility’s claim and say the cost of energy has come down across the board in the last decade.

Even so, Vogt touted formula ratemaking as having “tremendously improved” ComEd’s financial picture and having allowed the utility to invest in infrastructure and technology that has improved both costs and reliability.

However, the 2011 law included a provision that automatically “sunset” the formula rates a few years after they first took effect, necessitating ComEd to go back to the General Assembly to ask for the renewal of formula rates.

Toward the end of Vogt’s lengthy testimony on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Schwartz asked Vogt “what control” the sunset provision gave Madigan “over ComEd’s financial future.”

“A fair amount,” Vogt said.

Defense attorneys, however, tried to zoom out on the government’s narrative, pointing to those earlier legislative wins in 2007 and 2009 that came before the formula rates in 2011 – when ComEd is first alleged to have bribed Madigan.

Daniel Craig, an attorney for Pramaggiore, asked Vogt why Madigan didn’t kill those earlier wins for ComEd.

“After scoring those big wins in the Illinois House in 2006 and 2007, can you think of any reason why anyone at ComEd would think they needed to start bribing Mike Madigan in 2011?” Craig asked Vogt.

Government attorneys objected to his question, and Leinenweber sustained the objection.

“Nothing further,” Craig said.

The trail continues at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide, as well as hundreds of radio and TV stations. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.


Spread the love


Illinois News


Capitol Cast: End of Session Review
Capitol Cast: End of Session Review
State board of education looking for new providers in preschool ‘deserts’
State board of education looking for new providers in preschool ‘deserts’
Pritzker touts new budget’s higher education spending
Pritzker touts new budget’s higher education spending
Cannabis regulatory reform bill fails to advance in spring legislative session
Cannabis regulatory reform bill fails to advance in spring legislative session
Lawmakers approve measure giving utilities control over new downstate transmission lines
Lawmakers approve measure giving utilities control over new downstate transmission lines
Budget vote brings General Assembly’s 2023 spring session to a close
Budget vote brings General Assembly’s 2023 spring session to a close


Classifieds


LaMore Realty wins award in 2023. Photo by Madeleine Willis.

LaMore Realty’s Impactful Service on the Manteno Community

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy: Madeleine Willis Manteno native, Gina LaMore owns and manages LaMore Realty, a local brokerage that avidly buys and sells homes in the Kankakee County community. In the year 2022, realtors of LaMore sold 108 properties and bought 76 properties. The total volume of their transactions totals in at $45.6 million. This past…


Spread the love
Monee PD raised over $5,400 for Special Olympics on Cop on a Rooftop Day. Photo submitted.

Monee Cops Raised Dough Fulls on Rooftop

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Karen Haave Monee Police officers have proved, once again, that they are willing to give up sleep, or even a day off, to raise money for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois. This time it was $5,409.37 in the rainy early morning Cop on a Rooftop 2023 at Dunkin’,…


Spread the love
Bobcats punched their ticket to state. Photo by Jim Piacentini.

Bobcats Take the Pontiac Sectional

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Dennis Bowling Beecher girls softball team is the hottest in Class 2A circles. The Bobcats senior Kylie Cook was in a brief hitting slump. After some extra batting practice, Cook was able to find her hitting groove in a big way on May 26. Cook, an outstanding third baseman, went 3-for-3 at…


Spread the love
The back of the custom shirts three backyard chicken advocates wore to the March 27th board meeting. Photo by Andrea Arens.

Peotone Village Board Approves Backyard Chickens

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Andrea Arens A handful of chicks lobbied for change, and they won. It was no easy task either. Jolane Walenga, Katherine Mahn, and Amanda Babiarz made it a point to attend every meeting for the past five months, sharing information and reminding the board they weren’t going anywhere. Walenga said, “I wanted…


Spread the love

Kankakee Public Library Programs

Spread the love

Spread the loveKankakee Public Library, 201 E. Merchant Street in Kankakee, announced programs for the beginning of June. Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society presents “How to Use FOLD3 for Genealogy Research:” The Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society will host Jenny Warner at its next meeting, June 3, at 10:30 a.m., at the library. Ms. Warner’s presentation will…


Spread the love
Vedette logo

Village Board Votes to Demolish Second Street House, Again

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Andrea Arens The house at 206 N. Second Street might get demolished this time. The home was condemned months ago and received a demolition order from a Will County Judge. The first bid for demolition fell through after the contractor pulled his equipment and refused to complete the job citing “contract issues.”…


Spread the love
Monee police officer Stephen Crescenti got support from his daughter Gabriella, 5, at the Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Photo by Karen Haave.

L.E.A.D. Meant to Bring Positivity

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Karen Haave For John Henson and his wife, Tracey, L.E.A.D. in Monee is all about bringing “positivity.” Their third annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Monee this month did exactly that. Dozens of police vehicles and supporters from surrounding communities helped get the event underway with the Blue Line Parade that led…


Spread the love
Door hangers from the Peotone Township Assessor’s office will be left on any property being assessed. Photo submitted.

Peotone Township Assessor Notification

Spread the love

Spread the loveNOTIFICATION The Peotone Township Assessor would like to notify the public that our Field Crew will continue to be out assessing properties due to inconsistencies. All new construction and any property found to have inconsistencies will be assessed. Field Crews will have proper identification and door hangers indicating they’ve assessed the property. Any…


Spread the love
Vedette logo

Beecher Looking for Half a Mil

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Beecher Mayor Marcy Meyer met with the potential new fire inspector and came away with a good feeling. She didn’t name the inspector, who is from SAFEbuilt, a community development service company. But she told the board on May 22 he appears to fit the bill after the village severed…


Spread the love
Sheriffs say they want no role in enforcing state’s assault weapon registry

Monee Police Blotter: May 8 – 21

Spread the love

Spread the loveMay 8, at approximately 6 p.m., a rear-end crash on Monee-Manhattan Road resulted in the issuance of a citation to Gregory Sauls-Sanders, 19, of Richton Park, for following too closely. Both parties refused medical treatment. May 9, in the early morning hours, officers responded to two separate stolen vehicle complaints on Egyptian Trail…


Spread the love
Manteno installs first Electric Vehicle Chargers in the area. –Photo submitted.

Electric Vehicle Charging Ports Arrive in Downtown Manteno

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe Village of Manteno recently added four new Electric Vehicle Charging ports to downtown Manteno. The ports can be found in the parking lots just north and south of the villages First Street Plaza on Main Street . The four charging units were developed and installed by PowerPort EVC, a family-owned USA-based company…


Spread the love
Congrats to the Manteno High School Class of 2023! Photo by Madeleine Willis.

Manteno High School Announces Graduating Class of 2023

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy: Madeleine Willis The Commencement Ceremony for Manteno High School’s graduating class of 2023 took place on Sunday, May 21st, 2023. 145 seniors received diplomas this past weekend. Two students made addresses to their fellow classmates, Valedictorian Nalatie Meyer, and Salutatorian Ethan Godsey. Natalie Meyer, the Valedictorian of the Class of 2023, felt…


Spread the love
New Franciscan Health Outpatient Therapy opens in Beecher. –Photo submitted.

Franciscan Health Outpatient Therapy in Beecher Reopens

Spread the love

Spread the loveFranciscan Health Outpatient Therapy Beecher now is open and accepting new patients. “We’re extremely pleased to be able to bring these services back to the community,” said Laurie Shellito, director of rehabilitation services for Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. “We look forward to offering our patients one-to-one skilled therapy, as we guide them on…


Spread the love
American flag with a canvas and paint texture

House Resolution Adopted; Honors Late Momence Fire Chief / Rep. Haas’ Father

Spread the love

Spread the loveRecently, a resolution to honor longtime Momence Fire Protection District Chief James “Jim” LaMotte was adopted in the Illinois House of Representatives. This resolution was introduced by House Assistant Minority Leader Jackie Haas, who is also his daughter. Chief LaMotte served as Momence Fire Chief for 21 years and passed away on February…


Spread the love
Rep Haas

Haas Recognizes Paramedics, EMS Workers During National EMS Week

Spread the love

Spread the loveTo show appreciation for EMS workers in the 79th District and Illinois, State Rep, Jackie Haas is promoting National EMS Week. National EMS Week began when President Gerald Ford declared it November 3 – 10, 1974. In 1992, it was moved to the third week in May. The theme for this year is…


Spread the love