By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Commonwealth Edison’s top attorney was busy preparing for the General Assembly to take up major legislation the utility had spent months negotiating when ComEd’s top in-house lobbyist stopped by his office in late October 2011. A little more than 13 years later, the attorney, Tom
By Hannah Meisel Attorneys for both the defendants and the government made the same appeal to a federal jury Tuesday before it was left to deliberate the fate of four former Commonwealth Edison officials accused of bribery. “Use your common sense,” U.S. attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said while wrapping up the
By Hannah Meisel 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 Party candidates running for the state Senate were using lines in their campaign ads
Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) has released the following statement on the reccent federal indictment of former House speaker Michael Madigan: “The federal indictment of corruption charges against former House speaker Michael Madigan is disturbing, but proof that justice will be served if wrongdoing by elected officials is uncovered.
By JERRY NOWICKIPETER HANCOCKBETH HUNDSDORFER& GRACE KINNICUTTCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on 22 counts for allegedly using his position as the top House Democrat to solicit “personal financial rewards” for himself and his associates, according to the U.S.
Friends ask: “Why hasn’t Mike Madigan been indicted yet? After all, he has been under investigation for what must be a couple of years now.” My answer: It’s because the federal prosecutor is not confident he can prove that the former Illinois House speaker personally did anything illegal. I define
By Jerry Nowicki One day after State House speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, announced a suspension, but not a withdrawal, of his campaign for another term as speaker, a State representative who has been accused of being a staunch Madigan protector has launched a bid for the post. Rep. Emanuel “Chris”
Politically, Illinois House speaker and State Democratic Party chairman Mike Madigan is a dead man walking. The recent ComEd admissions of a decade of bribery killed him. And so, the struggle for new leadership is under way, mostly behind the scenes for the moment. Madigan has more or less ruled
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker Thursday, Nov. 19 put his own pressure on house speaker, Michael Madigan, and said the Democratic leader needs to answer questions from the press and the public or else resign. The governor’s comments during his daily COVID-19 briefing in Chicago came one day after
By Jerry Nowicki The longest-serving State legislative speaker in U.S. history will have a challenger from his own party in January. The Thursday announcement that representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, would challenge Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan as Illinois house speaker came just an hour before Republicans called a news conference to
September 3, 2020Dear editor; The sympathetic media coverage of Stephanie Kifowit’s so-called courage in “demanding” fellow Democrat speaker Mike Madigan’s resignation borders on the bizarre. Before we salute the brave and selfless Aurora State representative for standing up to the House speaker, perhaps her constituents and newspaper reporters should examine
By Rebecca Anzel A group of Commonwealth Edison ratepayers asked a federal judge Monday to force the utility company, House speaker Michael Madigan, and others to pay “at least” $450 Million to be split among all those affected by an alleged extortion scandal. The number of affected ratepayers could rise
The recent admission by behemoth electric utility Commonwealth Edison that it repeatedly bribed minions of Illinois House speaker Mike Madigan for years (of course, Madigan knew nothing about all this; sure, right) was breath-taking for its brazenness. The bribery is a classic example of otherwise upright citizens fueling the culture
As one who scribbles largely about things Illinois, I feel almost obligated to observe on the bombshell, certainly for the small fraternity that follows Illinois politics, news that utility ComEd has agreed to pay a $200 Million fine for bribery of Illinois officials. The announcement by the U.S. attorney’s office
By Jerry Nowicki Hours after filing a court document implicating, but not charging, Illinois’ house speaker Michael Madigan in a years long bribery scheme, federal officials took to the courtyard of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago on Friday to deliver a message to those engaging in public corruption: “We
