Even in a city known for elected officials acting badly, a federal corruption trial involving one of the nation’s largest electric utilities and one of Illinois’ most well-known political personalities feels like it should end with consequences.
The “ComEd Four” — former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and three lobbyists, including a confidante of the longstanding House speaker, accused of a bribery conspiracy to influence energy policy — have been the focus of nearly seven weeks of testimony.
The trial has an uneasy air of hope and resignation about it, and whether it will contribute to the state’s long-held reputation for corruption. While elected officials and political insiders await the verdict, many are already frustrated that this case may end the same way as all the others: someone goes to prison, someone pays a fine, but the gears of the same old Illinois machine keep turning.
“I’m afraid it will have no impact,” said outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who sought stronger ethics regulations during her administration.
“You have people taking a stand and talking about fixing it, taking jobs and not working.” “It’s terrifying,” she exclaimed. “And I believe that every single witness, every piece of evidence, every wiretapped call erodes people’s trust in core democratic institutions.”
There is some hope that even if Illinois cannot crack down on corruption, there will be some accountability.
“The trial matters because it will make people think twice about engaging in this kind of behaviour if they know the feds are watching,” Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois, a nonpartisan good-government organisation, said.
However, this is the state that produced several notorious examples of wrongdoing: former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich (convicted for attempting to sell a Senate seat)… as well as former Republican Gov. George Ryan (convicted of taking gifts and vacations from pals in exchange for government contracts)… and Rita Crundwell (a comptroller convicted of stealing approximately $54 million from her city’s coffers), as well as other Chicago City Council members accused or implicated.
The Four are accused of a bribery scheme in which the company organised positions for former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s cronies without them having to do actual work. Madigan faces a separate trial next year on racketeering and bribery charges. According to federal prosecutors, the utility sought approval of “Smart Grid” legislation in 2011 and a 2016 measure that saved two financially troubled nuclear power reactors from closure.
Madigan, who headed the Illinois House Democrats for nearly four decades, has not appeared in court, but his shadow has hung over the trial, which is taking place in Chicago’s downtown Loop commercial sector. Former lawmakers and lobbyists testified about the inner workings of state government, with overtones of the once-dominant machine politics, and political insiders were riveted.
The audio is one factor that is attracting people into the case. Because the former House Speaker didn’t have a cell phone or email, trial observers were taken aback when they heard Madigan and his close aide, Mike McClain, on secret phone recordings.
The tapes were intended to persuade jurors that Madigan used undue power over state government, so testimony from someone like state Rep. Bob Rita, a Democrat, made sense: Madigan dominated “through fear and intimidation,” he told the court.
Federal prosecutors claim the ComEd defendants conspired to pay $1.3 million to subcontractors who did little or no work, but the ComEd Four’s attorneys claim their clients did nothing more than advocate. After being exposed in the ComEd case, Madigan resigned from office and relinquished his chairpersonship of the state Democratic Party in 2021.
“I never engaged in any criminal activity.” “The government is attempting to criminalise a routine constituent service: job recommendations,” Madigan said about the federal probes in a statement. “That is not illegal, and the other charges are also false.” … I categorically deny these allegations and reflect with pride on my time as an elected representative serving the people of Illinois.”
The trial is also being closely monitored from the Capitol in Springfield. Despite the fact that lawmakers are about a month away from closing up their legislative session, the ComEd Four trial hasn’t prompted any new, flashy ethics provisions.
Former Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson believes it is now too late for lawmakers to act before their session expires on May 19.
“When the indictments were released, there was a lot of talk about reforms.” “However, nothing has been done,” Ferguson explained in an interview. “It means that when the legislature meets again, the trial will be a distant memory.”
Both House and Senate spokespeople cited recent measures signed into law by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker that ban government employees from lobbying, tighten controls on registered lobbyists, and enhance financial disclosure requirements.
State Senator Terri Bryant, a Republican who serves on the bipartisan Legislative Ethics Commission, said lawmakers are largely watching and waiting, but they are still focused on legislation for their districts.
“It’s troubling that Mike Madigan may be let off the hook.” “There isn’t a single person in Springfield who doesn’t believe he’s as guilty as hell,” Bryant added. “How can they prosecute Mike Madigan if those four get away?” Everything appears to be riding on this trial.”
Despite the federal government’s numerous investigations of Illinois officials over the years, there are times when it appears that politicians aren’t taking corruption concerns seriously.
Lightfoot tried unsuccessfully to remove Chicago Ald. Edward Burke early in her administration. The mayor followed through on a campaign promise to revamp the city’s ethics regulations, including measures limiting aldermen’s outside jobs and expanding disclosure requirements for lobbyists.
However, earlier this month, members of the City Council stood up one by one to praise Burke, a Democrat who has spent the last four years of his 54-year tenure in office awaiting his own trial on federal charges of racketeering, bribery, and extortion.
It’s the kind of thing Lightfoot can’t stand.
“It was pretty amazing,” she remarked of the experience. “That’s all I’ll say.”