Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been implicated — but has not been charged — by federal prosecutors in a years-long bribery scheme involving Commonwealth Edison, according to a July 17 Chicago Sun-Times story.
The alleged scheme involved more than $1.3 million in payments to people associated with Madigan, the Sun-Times reported. Documents revealed that ComEd was charged with bribery and that the company has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
The charging documents do not identify Madigan by name; however, the documents identify "Public Official A" as the Illinois house speaker.
Rep. Michael Madigan
| File Photo
State Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement after the release of the court documents:
“At the beginning of the federal corruption and pay-to-play practices in the Illinois General Assembly, multiple current and former State Representatives and Senators were indicted on charges, including, but not limited to bribery, fraud, and embezzlement. In response to one of these cases, Speaker Madigan’s office 'urged' a State Representative and member of his own caucus to 'resign, effective immediately.' That was [state Rep.] Luis Arroyo, and he resigned after being charged with bribery by federal authorities.”
This spring, Bush introduced a bill to remove any General Assembly member from all leadership posts or committee chair positions if indicted, and she has attempted to introduce additional legislation to stop this “corrupt brand of politics,” she said.
“While Speaker Madigan has not yet been charged by federal authorities, it is clear from the contents of this case that he was intimately involved in both the planning and execution of a longstanding bribery scheme with Illinois’ largest utility company, Commonwealth Edison,” Bush said. “I would encourage the Speaker to take his own advice and resign not only his Speakership and his legislative seat, but step down as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, effective immediately.”
U.S. Attorney John Lausch called the ongoing investigation “vibrant."
“We realize we have a lot of work to do, and we’re going to get that done,” Lausch said.
A longtime lobbyist also implicated Madigan in court papers, although he also did not use Madigan’s name. The Sun-Times identified the individual who referred to Madigan as Mike McClain.
“We had to hire these guys because (Madigan) came to us. It’s just that simple,” McClain said in court papers. A consultant allegedly said payments were made “to keep (Madigan) happy, I think it’s worth it, because you’d hear otherwise."
The investigation into ComEd has continued for more than a year, and speculation has previously surfaced regarding whether it would impact Madigan, who is known in Springfield as a legend for his control over the chamber and long-term service in the House. He was elected to the House in 1971 and has been speaker for all but a two-year period since 1983.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has urged Madigan to “fully cooperate with the investigation and answer all questions as quickly as possible,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
During a news conference on an unrelated issue in Waukegan, Pritzker addressed the controversy.
“These allegations strike at the core of what public service means . . . If these allegations of wrongdoing by the speaker are true, there is no question that he will have betrayed the public trust, and he must resign,” Pritzker said.
Alerts Sign-up