In my years covering Illinois politics, I’ve known two men called “Public Official A.”
One is Rod Blagojevich and the other is Mike Madigan.
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In my years covering Illinois politics, I’ve known two men called “Public Official A.”
One is Rod Blagojevich and the other is Mike Madigan.
In 2005, years before he was impeached or convicted of corruption charges, court documents ominously referred to someone as “Public Official A.” It was the first noticeable stray thread that would eventually lead to the political unravelling of Blagojevich.
Last month, federal prosecutors tagged Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan with that moniker in a plea deal with Commonwealth Edison. The giant utility serving Chicago and much of northern Illinois essentially admitted to giving bribes to Madigan.
The bribes would be in the form of contracts and jobs at the giant utility that Madigan could dole out to his supporters. In the court documents, Public Official A was identified as the Illinois Speaker of the House, a post held by Madigan.
Last month, through a spokesperson, Madigan said he is innocent of wrongdoing. And he has not been charged with a crime.
Madigan and Blagojevich have a long and contentious relationship. For nearly eight years, both men faced off over the state budget and legislation. Although Madigan co-chaired the former governor’s re-election campaign, he later spearheaded the drive to impeach him. Blagojevich is the only Illinois governor to have been removed from office.
Because of this, Blagojevich brings a unique perspective to Madigan’s political maginations — and what it is like to be the target of a federal probe.
First, what does it mean to be “Public Official A?”
“It means they have a target on your back,” the former governor told me Monday during a nearly hour-long telephone interview.
After serving nearly eight years in prison on corruption charges, Blagojevich was released earlier this year when President Donald Trump commuted his term.
The gap between being Public Official A and an inmate is not very long, he said.