(The Center Square) – The corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has entered its third month on the calendar.
Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain are charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct. Jury selection for the case began in early October at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago.
Following the Thanksgiving recess that began Wednesday afternoon, Madigan defense attorney Dan Collins began cross-examination of government cooperating witness and former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis on Monday morning.
Solis admitted to Collins that he committed many crimes while serving as an alderman. Solis said he recorded many people over a period of two-and-a-half years while cooperating with federal investigators.
“When I was undercover, I was basically lying all the time,” Solis told Collins, “to people who the government was investigating.”
Collins asked Solis about three instances in which Solis admitted that he steered business to Madigan’s private law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner.
In a deal involving Chicago’s Old Post Office, Solis said he now knows that Madigan’s firm already represented the developer and that he was only providing information.
In another case, Solis said the developer was already considering Madigan and Getzendanner.
The third case involved developer See Wong and a proposed hotel in Chinatown. Solis said Madigan did not ask Solis to delay zoning changes, but he said Madigan did thank him for the introduction.
Collins has said more than once that he expects a “long” cross-examination of Solis.
The 82-year-old Madigan served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He was speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. Madigan also chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois from 1998 to 2021.
McClain, is a former state representative, lobbyist and longtime Madigan associate.