After reading the Fed’s “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”(see below), I wasn’t surprised. I’ve known Individual A for a very long time, and never trusted him. What has always, and still remains a mystery to me … Why did Speaker Madigan trust him??? .
The legislative process is much more complicated than 98% of the public understands…Some lobbyists over sell themselves and their influence
If you want to understand the process — considered “corruption” by some … Read… “You’re the Boss – My Story of a Life in Practical Politics” by FDR’s political operative, Edward J. Flynn (see below link).
Federal investigators pursuing possible corruption within Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s orbit subpoenaed his state office Friday, seeking records involving AT&T, Walgreens, Rush University Medical Center and a host of political operatives and lobbyists.
“Sourced from WBEZ and other sources as listed below”
Madigan’s office July 17 received a grand jury subpoena for documents related to the ongoing federal investigation, according to WGN. According to Mark Maxwell of WCIA-TV, Capitol Police at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield saw men in suits enter the building Friday morning. One flashed an FBI badge.Madigan’s office issued a statement: “This morning the Speaker accepted subpoenas related to his various offices for documents, asking for, among other things, documents related to possible job recommendations. He will cooperate and respond to those requests for documents, which he believes will clearly demonstrate that he has done nothing criminal or improper.”
Chicago, IL. (ECWd) – The Federal Prosecutor for the Northern District of Illinois has published a charge sheet and deferred prosecution agreement with COMED in a bribery scheme. These documents paint the story of bribery, favors, payments, ghost payrolls, board appointments, and other things in order to obtain favorable legislation. The Speaker of the House is implicated as being involved. [ 929 more words ]
https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/federal-prosecutor-implicates-house-speaker-madigan-in-comed-bribery-probe/
Pritzker says he’s “furious” about the allegations surrounding Madigan, and says if they are true, then Madigan will have to resign.
JB should have a bill introduced that anyone that takes a bribe or is guilty of corruption in Illinois be sentenced to 25 yrs in prison. The citizens of Illinois deserve better.
Jack Franks Takes $66,915 from Campaign Fund for Legal Fees – McHenry County Blog
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2020/07/16/jack-franks-takes-66915-from-campaign-fund-for-legal-fees/
The stunning expansion of the federal probe came on the same day federal prosecutors in Chicago charged utility giant Commonwealth Edison with bribery and hit the company with a $200 million fine as part of a criminal legal settlement. The new areas of federal interest into some of the state’s most prominent corporations and one of its most noteworthy hospitals were identified in a sprawling request to Madigan’s office that also sought records about ComEd and its past executives.
Investigators also sought records pertaining to members of Madigan’s political organization, the speaker’s law firm, four former state lawmakers, four former or current Chicago alderman and a Chinatown land deal that was a cornerstone of a federal corruption probe that brought down former Ald. Danny Solis.
The level of corruption is beyond belief. From payoffs, to nepotism, to the typical democratic “pay for my cronies”. This probe and investigation is going to be very eye opening (one hopes) into the vast depth of why Illinois is in the shitter.
The subpoena also sought information from the Speaker’s office on some of his closest allies and operatives:
- Will Cousineau, a former top Madigan aide-turned-lobbyist for ComEd. He became a lobbyist in 2017 after nearly 18 years as a Madigan aide, including an eight-year run as political director for the speaker and the Madigan-led Democratic Party of Illinois. Cousineau’s lobbying firm stopped representing ComEd in Springfield in October 2019, WBEZ has reported.
- Frank Clark, who spent nearly five decades at ComEd, working his way up from the mailroom to become the company’s first Black chairman and CEO, from 2005 to 2012. In 2016, Clark and another ex-ComEd Exec, John Hooker, filed a lawsuit to block a legislative redistricting proposal that threatened Madigan’s grip on political power. Last year, WBEZ reported that Clark’s name appeared on a subpoena — along with Madigan’s — when federal agents raided the City Club of Chicago.
- Frank Olivo, the former alderman of Madigan’s 13th Ward power base on Chicago’s Southwest Side. After leaving the City Council, Olivo became a City Hall lobbyist for ComEd, records show. The subpoena also sought records relating to a “Frank Olivo Jr.”
- Ed Moody, a veteran precinct captain for Madigan who has been a Democratic Cook County commissioner and the county’s recorder of deeds. Moody has known Madigan since he was a boy and has referred to him as a father figure for him.
- Shaw Decremer, a former top political operative for Madigan. The speaker said he cut ties with Decremer over alleged “inappropriate behavior” in 2016 but Decremer continues to lobby in Springfield. His clients have included gambling companies, Major League Baseball and the NBA, state records show.
- Michael Zalewski, a former alderman from the 23rd Ward whose home was raided last year in the ComEd probe. Zalewski’s son is an important member of Madigan’s House Democratic caucus and his son’s wife, Carrie Zalewski, heads the state agency that regulates ComEd. WBEZ reported last monththat Madigan recommended Carrie Zalewski to head the Illinois Commerce Commision before Gov. JB Pritzker appointed her to the post.
- Ray Nice, another longtime Madigan precinct captain from the Southwest Side. WBEZ reported last year that Nice worked for ComEd.
- Eddie Acevedo, a former Democratic state representative from Chicago who recently told the Chicago a Tribune that he did consulting work for ComEd.
- The Reyes Kurson law firm and the Roosevelt Group, a lobbying company. Both those entities involve Victor Reyes, who once headed a scandal-scarred Hispanic political group in Chicago that was allied to Madigan and to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Springfield, IL. (ECWd) – According to a tweet by Mark Maxwell, WCIA, “Capitol police saw men in suits at the statehouse today. One officer said one of them flashed an FBI credential. Now, per @BenBradleyTV, @WGNNews is reporting that Mike Madigan’s office was served grand jury subpoenas for documents.” Illinois Policy is also reporting on the subpoena: [
https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/speaker-madigans-office-served-with-grand-jury-subpoena/
Amid a global pandemic and mass protests against police brutality, it’s easy to forget Illinois government remains the target of the largest federal corruption probe in the history of the most corrupt state.
The feds have raided, questioned, indicted or jailed dozens of Illinois political figures during the past two years. These are the symptoms of the state’s toxic political culture. Public servants expect special And Gov. J.B. Pritzker is happy to oblige, according to a new investigation by WBEZ.The report found Pritzker filled at least 35 state jobs with individuals on House Speaker Mike Madigan’s “clout list.” A Madigan aide sent the list to Pritzker chief of staff Anne Caprara in December 2018. The speaker’s office then updated the list 17 times.“The speaker’s vast efforts to influence the personnel decisions of the new administration provides a sharp contrast to Pritzker’s repeated campaign promises to be his own man once elected to the Governor’s Mansion,” wrote reporter Dan Mihalopoulos.
Perhaps most notable is what WBEZ could not find amid thousands of emails: a Pritzker staffer telling the speaker to stop.While Madigan put his stamp of approval on 35 Pritzker hires, recommendations from the three other legislative leaders combined yielded two paid positions from the governor’s office, according to the report.
Those taxpayer-funded appointments paid off for the governor.
Madigan greenlit Pritzker’s full legislative agenda in Spring 2019, including 20 tax and fee hikes totaling $4.6 billion and placing the governor’s progressive income tax constitutional amendment on the November 2020 ballot.
Beyond the speaker’s picks, the investigation showed Democratic state Rep. Luis Arroyo and state Sen. Martin Sandoval each secured key transportation appointments from Pritzker for their allies before being indicted on corruption charges. Both lawmakers were critical to passing Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure package and doubled gas tax hike.
Additional emails obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute show close communication between Madigan bagman Mike McClain and senior Pritzker staff about hiring decisions and other issues throughout 2019. Federal agents raided McClain’s Quincy home last year amid a continuing investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s relationship with the speaker’s office.On Feb. 22, 2019, McClain sent an email to Pritzker’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs Tiffany Newbern.“Tiffany, I understand that there are still quite a few liaison jobs open for your departments,” McClain wrote. “Have you looked at [redacted]. She is ‘young’ to the dark side but is impressive.”
“Thank you for sharing … I would be happy to bring her in for an interview,” Newbern replied.
After WBEZ released its investigation, top Pritzker staff members fired off dozens of tweets complaining about the coverage, while failing to note any inaccuracies.Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh suggested the investigation was insulting to women and minorities who were hired on merit, not clout. But 24 of the 35 Pritzker hires from Madigan’s list were men, according to the WBEZ reporter. And a majority of the women hired were McClain sent an email to Abudayyeh in April 2019 expressing his sympathies following news that Pritzker was the subject of a federal investigation for removing toilets from his Chicago mansion in order to secure a property tax break. The Cook County inspector general called it a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers.“I hope you had some time to relax and breathe during the Easter/Passover break. (I am deeply sorry about the alleged federal investigation),” McClain wrote.Pritzker has not apologized for the clouted hires. More importantly, he has not yet signed into law a single significant anti-corruption Pritzker was lying on the campaign trail when he tried to distance himself from the speaker’s influence. In the absence of reform, he’s lying about corruption, too.
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.
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Column: Boss Madigan can see what’s coming and like Chicago’s top fed says, ‘It’s not good’
By JOHN KASSCHICAGO TRIBUNEJUL 17, 2020 AT 7:06 PM
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.ADVERTISEMENThttps://9ffcdab42b131bd2d7200e78c3ade37d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlabout:blank
In my mind I could see Madigan’s eyes widening, as he concentrated on the federal documents filed Friday that are the road map to his end game, like the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, the oculist in “The Great Gatsby,” blue, unblinking, omniscient.
Madigan can see what’s coming and he can see the past. For five decades he’s held the tribes together, with his iron will, and his word, his discipline, and expert use of fear and power
“We told him years ago he should retire,” a Madigan friend said Friday, as the federal hammer came down. “We’d say, ‘You made enough money. You had all that power. It’s time to go.’
“And you know what he’d say? He’d say, ‘Yeah, but if I retire, what am I going to do?’ ”
What is Madigan going to do? How about trying to stay out of federal prison? That’s something to do.
Madigan wasn’t charged with any crimes, but that wasn’t the point when U.S. Attorney John Lausch pulled that big federal bus out Friday — the one with a driver named RICO — and outlined how Commonwealth Edison would cooperate in the federal investigation.
The giant utility agreed to pay $200 million in fines for assisting in a bribery and corruption scheme to benefit “Public Official A” that cost electric rate payers across Illinois real money in rate increases.
In exchange — though it wasn’t explicitly stated except as “cooperation” — ComEd turned over its intelligence and its people will testify.
Implicated are Madigan’s Democratic precinct captains with those do-nothing jobs, and Madigan-friendly contractors and Madigan-approved political lobbyists.
Reporters kept asking Lausch to identify Public Official A, but he refused. In the government filing, Public Official A is defined as the “Speaker of the Illinois House.”
There is only one: Madigan.
All of Madigan’s toadies, from the politicos to friendly internet gossipmongers, must be washing themselves in holy water right about now. Some will shout they’re not part of it. Some have already tried distancing themselves. Others will tell their lawyers to cut a deal.
But there won’t be any deal for Madigan. He’s the target. Targets don’t make deals. Targets see their families on visitors day.
Say what you want about Mike Madigan, and I have, he’s no hypocrite.
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