Facing one of the most serious threats to the power held by then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in 2018, his longtime friend and confidant decided it was time to “play hardball and quit doing this nicey/nicey stuff.”
One week earlier, political consultant Alaina Hampton had held a news conference to outline sexual harassment complaints against Kevin Quinn, a top political aide to Madigan. Her claims shook Madigan’s grip on power at the Capitol and created serious concern within his inner-circle, a federal jury heard Tuesday.
So Michael McClain sent a fiery email Feb. 21, 2018. In it, he suggested Madigan’s team go nuclear against their opponents and pitch scandalous stories about an open marriage and other Springfield dirt to “over worked, under payed” news reporters.
“We cannot lose him,” McClain wrote of Madigan. “We cannot give Illinois to these guys. So, we have to play sort of by their rules.”
Madigan’s longtime chief of staff, Tim Mapes, was among the recipients of McClain’s email. A former Madigan aide also testified Tuesday that Mapes was among those trying to insulate the speaker.
But despite apparently being looped in on McClain’s bid to save Madigan in 2018, Mapes later told a grand jury he didn’t remember McClain doing any tasks or assignments for Madigan at that time.
Now Mapes is on trial for perjury and attempted obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to block a yearslong federal investigation of Madigan and McClain. Mapes’ lawyers say he either didn’t know the answers to seven questions asked of him about McClain’s work for Madigan when Mapes appeared before a grand jury in March 2021, or he couldn’t remember.
McClain was convicted at trial with three others earlier this year for a conspiracy to bribe Madigan. McClain also faces trial with Madigan in April in a second case in which they are charged with a racketeering conspiracy.
Prosecutors spent Tuesday moving closer to the heart of their case. Not only did they spend much of the day painting a picture of Mapes as a detail-oriented micro-manager, they introduced McClain’s February 2018 email through the testimony of former Madigan aide Will Cousineau.
Cousineau testified at McClain’s trial earlier this year. During Cousineau’s return trip to the witness stand Tuesday, he seemed to choke up as he acknowledged that Mapes had recently sent him good wishes on his birthday and wedding anniversary.
Now a lobbyist, Cousineau told jurors that Madigan’s inner-circle did not move forward with McClain’s plan to “take off the gloves, package these stories and sell them. Now.”
However, Cousineau said McClain participated in discussions of hiring a public relations firm to help deal with the #MeToo allegations emerging at the Capitol. Others would include claims against then-state Rep. Lou Lang, who is expected to testify in Mapes’ trial Wednesday.
Mapes was also included on another email from McClain, sent in March 2018, regarding a plan for a so-called “Panel of Three.” Cousineau testified that it “was a group put together by the speaker in order to review policies to take testimony and talk about the issue of harassment within the Democratic Party of Illinois.”
The members were then-U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, state Rep. Carol Ammons and Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
Earlier, jurors also heard a key call between Mapes and McClain that was secretly recorded by the FBI in May 2018. In it, McClain tells Mapes about an “assignment” involving a piece of property in Chinatown. That effort is now part of the indictment for which Madigan and McClain still face trial.
The jury also heard audio of portions of Mapes’ grand jury testimony, which took place deep within the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning all parties wore masks and kept a social distance within the grand jury room. At one point, Mapes was admonished not to remove his mask to cough.
The indictment against Mapes alleges that he lied to the grand jury about not knowing whether McClain communicated with state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita in 2018. On Tuesday, prosecutors played a secretly recorded call in which Mapes asked McClain if he’d talk to Rita. The call took place March 20, 2019.
Immediately after playing that call for the jury, prosecutors played a portion of Mapes’ grand jury testimony in which he was asked whether he was “aware of any contact between Mr. McClain and Mr. Rita” between 2017 and 2019.
Contributing: Dave McKinney
