Natalia Chi
In Springfield, every road and every bill is a powerful House Speaker, according to Thursday testimony from two former Illinois House representatives who described Madigan’s power and how he used it. It led to Mike Madigan.
This testimony alleges that he used utility company jobs and contracts to bribe and illegally influence Madigan, essentially showering the former Speaker of the House with “profit streams” to avoid Madigan’s interference. with the company’s Springfield agenda during the so-called “ComEd 4” trial that was accused.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Drury came to Springfield in hopes of passing a bill to address a number of wrongful convictions in his native Lake County, but the Illinois legislature testified that it was run by what many called the “speaker’s rule.” ”
“The House rules gave the Speaker ultimate power,” Drury said.
Drury said Madigan would determine House committees, who would be on them and who would be chairmen. Drury said he had the power to manage the legislative flow and schedule.
Former president Carol Sente told a similar story, recalling dealing with speakers at the time about predatory loan bills.
“He said, ‘Don’t bring it up again, it’s not moving forward,'” she testified.
Both former congressmen explained how Madigan uses the Rules Committee to bless or kill lawsuits.
“The rules committee … I would describe as a black hole,” Drury said.
Prosecutors allegedly controlled the House because ComEd allegedly gave Madigan political jobs, legal affairs, and other benefits to keep him from interfering with laws that favored the company. is important to this case.
Also running was Lu Lang, who was forced to leave his seat due to allegations of improper conduct.
He had heard the prosecutor play a recording of a phone call, McClain said from “someone who cares deeply about you (and) thinks you should move on.” is conveying the message of Lang realized that the message was from Madigan, and replied, “I wouldn’t humiliate him like that.”
During cross-examination, Lang said, “In my 32-year career, Mike Madigan never asked me to do anything.
The next phase of this trial could include hundreds of government-made recordings from wiretappers and wire-wearing insiders, all with former CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist John Hooker. , Michael McClain, and Jay Dougherty want to show how they worked illegally.Madigan was content to ensure he stayed in power.
Defendants deny all allegations.
