BREAKING - Feds about to drop the hammer on several big Illinois Democrats

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Feds file criminal case against ComEd, implicate Mike Madigan

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Federal prosecutors implicated Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Friday in a brazen, Chicago-style bribery scheme involving ComEd that allegedly went on for years and involved payments to Madigan associates exceeding $1.3 million.

Though the stunning, lengthy details were revealed in documents that charged only ComEd — and not Madigan — with bribery, they said ComEd has agreed to “fully and truthfully cooperate” with federal prosecutors. The company has agreed to pay a $200 million fine and acknowledged that it sought Madigan’s help for legislation that could be worth more than $150 million to the utility company.

Madigan is not identified by name in the documents, rather as “Public Official A.” But there is no doubt it is him, as the documents identify that person as Illinois’ house speaker. No one in the country has held that title as long as Madigan.

U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office has announced a news conference with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation division for early Friday afternoon to discuss what could be one of the most significant prosecutions in Illinois history.

On Friday, Gov. J. B. Pritzker said if the allegations involving Madigan are true, he must resign.

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The criminal charge against ComEd follows more than a year of intrigue regarding the feds’ public corruption investigations and whether their work would ever touch Madigan, one of the most powerful Democrats in Illinois for decades. He’s wielded as much power as, and often more than, its governors.

Madigan, 78, is known in Springfield as “The Velvet Hammer” for his quiet, but iron-fisted control over his chamber. So legendary is his political acumen and legislative prowess that fellow legislators, lobbyists and insiders toss about the maxim, “Never bet against the speaker.”

The powerful Southwest Side Democrat — and the allegations against him — harken back to the days of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, whom Madigan considers his personal mentor.

Madigan has held the reins in the state House for much of the past 37 years, serving as speaker for all but two years since 1983.

He was first elected to the House in 1971. His longevity eclipsed the 33-year record set by South Carolina’s Solomon Blatt, who served from 1937-1946 and 1951-1973, according to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

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During a break from presiding over a party meeting in Springfield in his role as chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, Madigan told reporters that Republicans should start in Washington, not Springfield.

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Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement: “The people of Illinois now live in a state where both the Speaker of the House and the Governor are under criminal investigation. Even for a state with a history of corruption, this is unprecedented. Crimes of bribery and tax fraud cannot be tolerated from our elected officials.

“As we learn more about the bribery investigation into Speaker Madigan and the property tax fraud investigation into Gov. Pritzker, our hearts go out to the people of Illinois who are once again left yearning for elected leaders who work for them, not for themselves. The Democratic culture of corruption in Illinois must come to an end.”

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Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor’s office over the past five months for records regarding the $330,000 property tax break that Gov. J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job.

Records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has asked Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi for all emails and any other communications dating to 2012 regarding the tax break that Kaegi’s predecessor, Joseph Berrios, gave Pritzker.

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