ComEd consultant Michael McClain sounded incredulous in 2018 after learning that a fellow player in the utility game had complained to a colleague about feeling pressure to hire someone with political connections.
“That’s what happens when you’re in this game,” McClain insisted in a phone call that was secretly recorded by the FBI. “And you never know, maybe someday you can ask for a favor. … Hello? Dumb s——.”
The person on the other end of that call was not Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who resigned in 2021 and is now on trial with McClain for an alleged racketeering conspiracy. Rather, it was the Southwest Side Democrat’s son, Andrew Madigan.
Madigan’s son is not charged with wrongdoing, and his comments on the call were mostly benign. But recordings made public from the FBI’s probe of Michael Madigan have rarely featured his family. McClain’s call with the son also set the stage for much of the trial day Thursday.
Prosecutors spent four hours walking jurors through emails in which McClain badgered ComEd officials to hire interns from the 13th Ward where Michael Madigan had his power base, or people who were otherwise connected to him. It’s another piece of last year’s ComEd bribery trial — in which McClain was already convicted — now being laid out in the Michael Madigan case.
Jurors even heard recordings of ComEd executives considering whether they could hire Tim Mapes, the speaker’s longtime chief of staff, in June 2018. Michael Madigan had just forced Mapes to resign over bullying and harassment claims at the time. Mapes has since been convicted of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice, and he’s serving a 2½-year prison sentence.
Meanwhile, there were signs Thursday that Michael Madigan’s trial may not be over by the end of the year. The 11-week estimate previously offered by lawyers would have it end in mid-December. But U.S. District Judge John Blakey warned Thursday, “there’s no way.”
That’s based on time estimates given to the judge for individual witnesses in the case. He said his calendar shows prosecutors wrapping up their case around New Year’s Day. That means the trial would spill at least into January.
Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, who wore a wire for the FBI in 2019 to avoid prison, spent a third day on the witness stand Thursday and has yet to be cross-examined. Still, prosecutors told the judge they may be able to find ways to streamline their case.
Michael Madigan is accused of leading a criminal enterprise designed to enhance his political power and enrich his allies, with McClain serving as his agent. While the call featuring Madigan’s son had previously been described in court documents, it had not been aired in court until now.
The call took place on May 23, 2018. Earlier, McClain had spoken to Marquez — who had not yet begun to wear a wire. The FBI had been secretly recording McClain’s phone calls, instead.
Marquez explained that a Peoples Gas representative had complained about being pushed “really hard” to hire onetime ComEd contractor Tom Volini, a friend of Madigan’s son. Marquez told McClain he replied that “maybe one day you’ll have an ask and this will be remembered.”
“You know how this works, right?” Marquez said he told her.
McClain called Madigan’s son that evening to tell him about the chat with Marquez. McClain said “that’s how the sys[tem], it is, you can’t be offended with that. Oh, so you got pressure too, are you kidding me? Yeah, we got pressure. Okay, okay.”
Madigan’s son said, “that’s funny” and told McClain he appreciated the call. “It’s not easy working with people,” he added.
“Yeah, I mean, it’d be easier if everybody would just obey right?” McClain said.
“Well, if they were at least, you know, had a brain all the time, you know,” the son replied.
Moments after he played that call in court Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu began the task of walking jurors through a mountain of emails that showed McClain’s relentless pressure on ComEd to hire people, allegedly at Michael Madigan’s behest.
Example after example showed ComEd’s top executives bending over backwards to secure positions for internships and entry level jobs when they’d been referred by Michael Madigan allies.
When it took too long, McClain followed up repeatedly, reminding ComEd executives the recommendations were from “our Friend.”
That’s how McClain was known to refer to the speaker, multiple witnesses have testified.
Marquez said the requests were fulfilled “as a favor to Michael Madigan” to keep the House speaker happy as ComEd pursued its legislative agenda.
But McClain didn’t always recommend quality candidates. For example, McClain pushed ComEd to hire two men as meter readers, even though one twice failed a standardized test for the job — and the other never showed up for it.
McClain wrote in an email that unless the men “had three heads” Marquez should find them a job. Marquez replied that, “we can reschedule” their test “a third time.”
Other “lousy” candidates failed tests, lacked experience and “bombed” interviews. But they were hired and kept their jobs, even while underperforming.
Contributing: Dave McKinney