Federal jurors heard Michael J. Madigan’s longtime ally complaining about a Peoples Gas representative who took offense “when people ask for favors” — and they heard him griping about it Thursday on a secretly recorded call with Madigan’s son.
The call sticks out from the bevy of recordings jurors have heard in what has been nearly three weeks of testimony in the racketeering conspiracy trial of Madigan, Illinois’ former longtime House speaker who resigned in 2021.
Though the details of the call have previously been laid out in court records, the actual recording has never before been played in court. Prosecutors shared it Thursday during the ongoing testimony of former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez.
Madigan’s son, Andrew Madigan, has not been charged with wrongdoing, and his comments in the call were mostly benign. However, members of Madigan’s family are rarely heard on the FBI’s tapes.
Marquez agreed in 2019 to wear a wire for the FBI and secretly record his friends and colleagues. He testified in last year’s ComEd bribery trial, which ended with the conviction of Madigan ally Michael McClain and three others.
McClain is now on trial all over again with Madigan. Marquez has spent three days on the witness stand so far, testifying about the various recordings he made. Defense attorneys could get their first chance to cross-examine him as soon as Thursday afternoon.
The call involving Andrew Madigan occurred May 23, 2018. Earlier, McClain had called Marquez, who had not yet begun to wear a wire. The FBI had been secretly recording McClain’s phone calls.
Marquez told him that a People’s Gas representative had complained about being pushed “really hard” to hire someone. Marquez told McClain that he told the person that “maybe one day you’ll have an ask and this will be remembered.”
“And I said, ‘you know how this works, right?'” Marquez explained.
McClain called Andrew Madigan at 5:09 p.m., according to court records. McClain shared his earlier conversation with Marquez, explaining that Marquez told the person, “That’s what happens when you do, when you’re in this game. And you never know, maybe someday you can ask for a favor.
“I mean that’s how the sys[tem], it is, you can’t be offended with that,” McClain said. “Oh, so you got pressure too, are you kidding me? Yeah, we got pressure. Okay, okay.”
Andrew Madigan eventually said “that’s funny.” He told McClain he appreciated that McClain let him know, adding “it’s not easy working with people.”
“Yeah, I mean, it’d be easier if everybody would just obey right?” McClain said.
“Well, if they were at least, you know, had a brain all the time, you know,” Andrew Madigan said.
McClain followed up by saying, “Right, I just love these people, they are in a regulatory body, right? And they are offended when people ask for favors. Hello? Dumb sh–s.”