ComEd 4 Trial Opening Arguments: ‘Madigan Wanted, the Defendants Gave'

The specter of indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan loomed large during opening arguments in the “ComEd 4” bribery trial at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse Wednesday. The longest serving legislative leader in U.S. history seemed everywhere during arguments while he personally was nowhere to be found during the daylong proceedings in the overflow courtroom of U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber. As part of her opening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker left little to the imagination, telling jurors, “In short, Madigan wanted, the defendants gave and the defendants got. It’s that simple.” Longtime Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and Jay Doherty, a lobbyist and consultant who once served as the head of the City Club of Chicago, are all on trial in a case that charges each of them with playing a role in masterminding a scheme to funnel jobs, cash and other perks from the utility giant to associates of Madigan in exchange for him taking a favorable stance on legislation the company stood to benefit from. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. Madigan is slated to go on trial in connection with the scheme in the spring of 2024, when he will also face a separate racketeering indictment accusing him of being involved in an assortment of other corruption-related schemes. Madigan also has pleaded not guilty. With state and federal cases challenging Illinois’ gun ban pending, Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains confident the law he signed will withstand constitutional scrutiny, though he says he’s not an expert. The governor also continues to respond to perceived conflicts of interest around his $2 million in donations to Illinois Supreme Court justice candidates who now sit on the bench. The high court accepted to hear the gun ban challenge from Macon County where the governor is a lead defendant. He signed the law Jan. 10.