What kind of friend is Michael Madigan?
He’s never been our pal, so we can’t say firsthand. But one of his closest friends over the course of about a half century has been Mike McClain, who served alongside Madigan as a state representative in the 1970s and for decades after that was a lobbyist for politically powerful companies such as Commonwealth Edison.
Evidence in last year’s six-week “ComEd Four” trial convincingly portrayed the two men’s relationship as going well beyond political convenience. McClain, 76, essentially served as House Speaker Madigan’s trusted emissary to other lawmakers and any parties with interests in the doings of state government. But he also was clearly a close personal friend and confidant, seemingly one of the few the enigmatic Madigan, 82, had in a career in which the Democrat was by far the most feared individual in state politics.
Numerous intercepted phone calls between Madigan and McClain, introduced as evidence in last year’s trial of McClain and three others convicted of an elaborate bribery scheme to win Madigan’s favor, had Madigan asking McClain to dinner when McClain came to Chicago from his Quincy home, or when he was in Springfield. The invitations often involved business but anyone listening could discern that Madigan genuinely enjoyed McClain’s company.
The feeling was beyond mutual. McClain depicted himself more than once over the years as little more than Madigan’s loyal servant. Interviewed outside a Chicago restaurant in January 2020, before he was indicted but after news broke that he was an investigative target, McClain was asked by reporters whether it would be hard to betray Madigan. McClain, who no doubt was under immense pressure from the feds to flip on Madigan and testify against him, responded, “It would be hard to betray myself.” To date, McClain has kept his silence, already enduring one conviction and risking a second.
In October, McClain and Madigan are scheduled to stand trial together on federal racketeering charges tied to how Madigan ran his political operation and the Illinois House. Now, some 28 months after the two were indicted together, McClain wants his own trial. His lawyers on Friday filed a motion, saying they have reason to believe Madigan’s legal team plans to argue that McClain acted alone in his dealings, purportedly on Madigan’s behalf, with ComEd and AT&T, among others. They fear having to defend themselves not just against federal prosecutors, but Madigan’s lawyers as well.
Yikes. Et tu, Mr. Speaker?
Harry Truman famously said those wanting a friend in Washington, D.C., should get a dog. A loyal canine would have been a similarly more reliable choice in Mike Madigan’s Springfield.
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