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* Jon Seidel tells us about recorded phone conversations played during the Tim Mapes trial yesterday…
“I don’t recall any at all,” Mapes told the grand jury. “Any dialogue.”
That’s gonna leave a mark.
* Also this from Hannah Meisel…
Mapes was also asked whether he knew of anyone close to Madigan who was on friendly terms with John Hooker, a lobbyist for ComEd.
“I don’t recall any today,” Mapes said.
You’ve gotta be kidding me. Mike McClain and Hooker were practically inseparable.
* Megan Crepeau and Ray Long at the Tribune…
Mapes even played down Madigan’s longtime admiration of Mayor Richard J. Daley, someone Madigan often spoke about with reverence.
“I think he had a respect for him,” Mapes said. “I don’t know about esteem.”
Mapes said he remembered Madigan saying Richard J. Daley “was a good politician” but testified that Madigan didn’t say why he thought that.
For crying out loud, Madigan had photos of the old man in his office as well as the prayer card from Daley’s funeral mass. When Madigan was named grand marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, he had an exact replica of a hat Richard J. wore when he was grand marshal. Daley practically made Madigan part of the family after Madigan’s dad passed away. Mapes isn’t accused of perjuring himself on that answer, but sheeeeeeeesh.
Also this…
“(McClain) was one of my fr– sorry strike that,” Mapes said, apparently stopping short of calling McClain a friend. “He was a member of the legislature before I started. … And then he was also a member of the leadership before he lost his election.”
I think now we’re seeing why the feds were so irked with Mapes’ grand jury testimony.
* To the Sun-Times story…
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.
*Hard sigh*
* Hannah Meisel has more on the effort to save Madigan. As you may recall, Madigan created the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel through the Democratic Party of Illinois and appointed three members: US Rep. Cheri Bustos, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and state Rep. Carol Ammons. They immediately declared independence and refused to take any money from Madigan’s party apparatus. And when Bustos backed out, the others appointed Sen. Melinda Bush, who was a noted Madigan critic…
“I had wanted to talk this afternoon about well, what do we do with this panel?” Madigan said on a conference call with five close advisors, including Mapes and McClain. “What do we do with it? Do we do anything with it? Do we just let it go and go and go?”
Later in the call, longtime Madigan spokesman Steve Brown warned the media would pick up on any clues that the speaker was interfering with the panel’s work, and the sexual harassment allegations against Madigan’s organization would be rehashed.
“I’m trying to get my head around the idea that some other entity crops up and it’s not portrayed as an effort to supplant, derail whatever Mendoza’s supposed to be doing,” Brown said.
Good on Brown.
…Adding… Oof…
Was it because I asked that the bathroom in the House chamber be stocked with women’s menstrual products? I thought I asked really nicely… pic.twitter.com/L9GSypBp5b
— Theresa Mah (@ChicagoTM) August 16, 2023
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 9:36 am
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I am looking forward to all the Mapes/Madigan apologists saying that it was unfair for Mapes to honestly remember any of these answers.
Friends - don’t be like the MAGA apologists in D.C. Your man is corrupt. He is going to jail. Don’t make a fool of yourselves by continuing to insist he didn’t do anything wrong.
Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 9:45 am
Wow. In fairness, I’ll wait and see what Mapes’ defense team comes up with when they put on their case. But unless they have some devastating counter punches, it is borderline malpractice that they took this case to trial. I suppose Mapes could have refused their advice to cop a plea.
Comment by Roman Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 9:50 am
===continuing to insist he didn’t do anything wrong.===
I read this blog daily and don’t recall anyone insisting MJM didn’t do anything wrong. Not even the staunchest Dem supporters.
Comment by Cubs in '16 Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 9:53 am
What case?
Comment by Always something Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 9:55 am
I don’t understand how Mapes believed that he could get away with that Grand Jury testimony. His answers are just laughable.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:03 am
Mapes grand jury testimony is obviously from a man who had too much power for far too long and thought he was bullet proof.
Comment by spoon Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:11 am
::insert .gif of Lionel Hutz telling Marge the differences of truth::
I was always told the whole truth needs to be said to your priest, your defense attorney, and, once the plea deal has been struck, the prosecution.
Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:15 am
=== I read this blog daily and don’t recall anyone insisting MJM didn’t do anything wrong. Not even the staunchest Dem supporters. ===
I was referring to all the apologists the past week who claim Mapes didn’t lie because he couldn’t “remember” since he wasn’t given transcripts.
Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:36 am
==I am looking forward to all the Mapes/Madigan apologists saying that it was unfair for Mapes to honestly remember any of these answers.==
No, it was Democrats who ended Madigan’s house career and my sense is even the most loyal of the loyal are shaking their heads at this point.
Comment by low level Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:41 am
===Daley practically made Madigan part of the family after Madigan’s dad passed away.===
I’ve been re-reading “American Pharaoh” these past few days. So incredibly useful (as I thought it wold be) but not to this extent.
If you’ve never read it, do.
I read it three very different ways;
As a book telling the story
As a map towards how the buildup, creation, and maintenance of the machine was, and where it sat with the whos and wheres
As an encyclopedia of sorts, using indexes and name searches, ward organizations and ward bosses in a glossary to get specific and pointed to my searches.
It’s invaluable.
What is invaluable now, in whole context, is that lil nod right there. What Rich says to “the hat”, the familia relationship with MJM and Richard J, and as I read… how a 1950s, post depression, post war political organization was built to all but mirror the “5 crime families” but the “dozen or so ward bosses”… running Parks, Streets and San, Electricity, Zoning…Finance… Police and Fire. Committees chairs running committees and Ward crews.
Mapes was stuck, MJM was stuck… in 1959 Chicago… waiting on Kennedy to run… and at a peaking of the Capo organizing.
“American Pharaoh” has been indispensable, here’s an example why.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:50 am
If Theresa Mah is “in your face”, good grief, what did he call Cassidy?
Comment by New Day Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 10:52 am
Unless the Defense comes up with something really big..Mapes is Guilty on all counts…..I thought Madigan on that Conference Call seemed so out of touch and weak. It’s like the veil was completely off. He sounded silly. Truly he was operating out of a playbook from the 50’s.
Comment by Ryder Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 11:45 am
Cue the Dark Mah memes!
Comment by CT Guy Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 12:23 pm
==I am looking forward to all the Mapes/Madigan apologists==
I’m still waiting for said apologists to appear. Will it be today? Or is it that your original characterization was off the mark?
Comment by low level Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 1:27 pm
Mapes must have thought he could do and say what he wanted, and if it blew up on him that MJM could fix it. That’s how it always worked after all… but not this time. Tapes are a funny thing… do not pass go, go directly to jail Mr. Mapes.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Wednesday, Aug 16, 23 @ 4:48 pm
No surprise here.
Th fact that MJM ruled his caucus and the IL Dems in general says more about those who knuckled under than the man himself.
Comment by Loop Lady Thursday, Aug 24, 23 @ 3:01 pm