The defense in Michael Madigan’s trial has concluded its case, with closing arguments expected soon as the jury prepares for deliberations.
Chicago: So, the trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan is heating up. His lawyers wrapped up their case on Thursday after calling 12 witnesses, including Madigan himself. Can you believe he actually took the stand? That’s pretty rare in these high-profile cases.
Prosecutors are gearing up for a short rebuttal before they close things out. This trial has been a bit of a rollercoaster, starting back in October, and it’s had its fair share of delays. Madigan’s team began calling witnesses almost a month ago, but there have only been six days of testimony since then.
The jury was told to come back Thursday morning for some legal back-and-forth, but, of course, that took longer than expected. They spent nearly two hours arguing about jury instructions and other details. It’s been a complicated case, and even the judge suggested sending the jury to lunch early, but that didn’t happen.
Madigan’s co-defendant, Michael McClain, showed up during the discussions, and his lawyer made sure the record noted he was there. The judge had a little quip about how McClain hadn’t missed much, which lightened the mood a bit.
Looking ahead, the judge mentioned that closing arguments could start on Wednesday and might take three full days. After that, the jury will dive into deliberations, which could kick off the week of January 27. They’ll have a lot to sift through, including over 100 pages of jury instructions.
One of the last witnesses for the defense was Heather Wier Vaught, who used to be Madigan’s top legal counsel. She talked about how some key legislation passed during a tough political climate with then-Gov. Bruce Rauner. But she also faced questions about her loyalty to Madigan, especially after the FBI raids in 2019.
Interestingly, the jury found out that if Gov. JB Pritzker were called to testify, he wouldn’t remember a meeting with Madigan from 2018. This echoes what Pritzker’s camp said back when Madigan was indicted, claiming he didn’t recall any discussions about a certain alderman getting a state board seat.
Madigan’s team also brought in several other staffers to testify, but his own testimony was the most significant. He painted himself as a hardworking, honest guy who values input before making decisions. He insisted he’s innocent of the charges against him, which include serious allegations of corruption.
However, his testimony opened the door to some evidence that had been previously kept out, including a wiretapped call where he joked about how much money some associates made for little work. That’s definitely not a good look.
At 82, Madigan is facing some serious charges, including bribery schemes involving ComEd and AT&T. The indictment claims he ran his political operations like a criminal enterprise to boost his power and line his pockets. It’s a wild case, and everyone’s watching closely to see how it unfolds.
