Page 12 - Patrick Cotter News Today

Fidel Marquez, the government’s witness, continued testifying for the fourth day, now under cross examination from defense attorneys seeking to show how their clients’ actions were above board when they tried to garner Madigan’s support on legislation in Springfield.

The government’s star witness acknowledged on cross-examination Thursday that maintaining a good relationship with powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan was an imperative part of legal lobbying.

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Before stepping down, Madigan held sway over not only the fate of legislation in the General Assembly, but also the futures of hordes of lawmakers, lobbyists, job-seekers and campaign workers.

"You’ve been my spirit guides and more," Former ComEd CEO gushed about Michael Madigan and his longtime confidant on a secretly recorded call played for jurors Monday.

Fidel Marquez, a former ComEd senior vice president, took the witness stand for what Is expected to be lengthy testimony.

Testimony that has unfolded in a Chicago federal courtroom has offered a fascinating — and unprecedented — look into the closely guarded inner workings of Madigan’s political might.

In April 2017, a top staffer in then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office was looking to leave his job after a combined nearly 18 years working for the speaker’s office

Will Cousineau took the witness stand after securing letters from the feds granting him immunity and making clear he’s not a target of an investigation. Then he listened as prosecutors played a December 2018 call he’d participated in and which was secretly recorded by the FBI.

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