XPost: chi.politics, alt.politics.obama, alt.politics.democrats   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: nospam@ix.netcom.com   
      
   CHICAGO (WLS) -- Michael Madigan is the latest Illinois politician   
   convicted for abusing the power of their office, and he's now part of the   
   culture of corruption that has been swirling since the 1980s.   
      
   Once called the "Velvet Hammer" for his quiet but vice-like grip on power   
   in the legislature, Madigan has now been nailed on 10 of 27 counts of   
   corruption by federal prosecutors.   
      
   He joins a long line of former Illinois politicians, including former   
   Illinois Govs. Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Dan Walker, Otto Kerner,   
   former Alderman Ed Burke and many more facing prison time for their   
   actions betraying the public trust as an office holder.   
      
   "He was arguably the most powerful man in Illinois politics. He was   
   arguably the most careful politician in Illinois politics. The message   
   should get out: If you can get Mike Madigan, you can get anybody," said   
   former federal prosecutor Ron Safer, who also thinks one of the biggest   
   wins for prosecutors is the guilty verdict on a Madigan scheme to pass   
   beneficial legislation for ComEd in exchange for no-work jobs for his   
   cronies. "I totally think that the emails, the conversations about board   
   positions, about lobbyists, lobbyists being paid for positions that they   
   did not fulfill, that is incontrovertible evidence."   
      
   Historically, Illinois has ranked as one of the most politically corrupt   
   states in the nation.   
      
   According to data obtained by the ABC7 Chicago I-Team, since Chicago's   
   first corruption trial in 1869, thousands of government and business   
   officials have been convicted of public profiteering.   
      
   Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, who was found guilty of trying to sell former   
   President Barack Obama's open U.S. Senate seat, was pardoned just this   
   week by President Donald Trump.   
      
   Ryan was convicted of illegally selling government licenses to unqualified   
   truck drivers for bribes.   
      
   Just over a year ago, powerful Chicago Alderman Burke was convicted on   
   federal racketeering and bribery charges for his efforts to solicit and   
   extort private legal work.   
      
   But even with Wednesday's verdict, Juliet Sorensen, clinical professor of   
   law and the director of Loyola's Rule of Law Institute, said the import   
   cannot be overemphasized.   
      
   "This is a highly significant case in Illinois anti-corruption efforts,   
   and, indeed, in our state's history. It's hard to overstate how powerful   
   the former speaker was over his many years of service in the Illinois   
   legislature," Sorensen said.   
      
   But, the jury is still out on whether this verdict is significant enough   
   to put a real damper on public corruption in Illinois.   
      
   "If the people of Illinois are looking for a path forward in terms of   
   anti-corruption reform and good government, I would say they should speak   
   to their legislators about a meaningful ethics reform bill that will be a   
   preventive and proactive approach to reducing corruption in Illinois, as   
   opposed to a criminal process, which is, as I said, inevitably, very slow   
   and inefficient," Sorensen said.   
      
   Safer said it was absurd that Madigan's law firm could practice before the   
   state, and, he added, "Criminal prosecutions are the worst way to enforce   
   an ethics law, what we have to do is change the law. "   
      
   Madigan can file a motion to appeal, but only after being sentenced.   
      
   Prosecutors speaking with the I-Team said this proves prosecutors with the   
   Northern District are very motivated to prosecute public corruption cases.   
      
   https://abc7chicago.com/post/michael-madigan-trial-update-former-illinois-   
   house-speaker-joins-culture-corruption-swirling-1980s-chicago-   
   state/15899693/   
      
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