Madigan's lawyer gives longtime ally McClain a new moniker: 'Mr. Important'

Michael McClain has been described in court as a longtime friend, emissary and agent of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.

On Monday, Madigan’s defense team gave McClain a new nickname: “Mr. Important.”

Madigan attorney Dan Collins began to drop the moniker into his commentary Monday as closing arguments continued in the trial of Madigan and McClain. McClain’s attorneys have predicted Madigan’s team would eventually point the finger at McClain.

But Collins seemed to simply make the point that jurors shouldn’t hold Madigan responsible for McClain’s “exaggerations” and embellishments. He pointed to McClain’s famous words in a letter claiming to be “at the bridge with my musket standing with and for the Madigan family.”

“‘Standing with a musket’ — who talks that way?” Collins asked the jury.

Madigan and McClain are on trial for a racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors say Madigan led a criminal enterprise for nearly a decade, designed to enhance his political power and reward his allies and associates. McClain allegedly acted as his agent.

A 117-page indictment against the pair alleges five schemes. In one, prosecutors say Madigan and McClain conspired with ComEd to have Madigan associates paid for do-nothing jobs so Madigan would look more favorably on ComEd’s legislation. McClain worked for years as a lobbyist for ComEd, but purportedly retired in 2016.

To make his point Monday, Collins pointed to a pair of conversations from Feb. 20, 2019. They were secretly recorded by the FBI. In the first, Madigan asked McClain “who’s gonna head up” negotiations on a bill that was of interest to ComEd’s parent company, Exelon. Madigan added that he “always viewed [McClain] as ComEd.”

When McClain later recounted the conversation to Anne Pramaggiore and John Hooker, two officials with ties to ComEd, he told them that Madigan said “I’ve always relied on [McClain] to be the lead on this kind of stuff. Now you’re gone, but uh but it’s gotta be somebody we trust.”

“We all know people like this in our lives,” Collins told the jury Monday. “Somebody that, ‘Here’s one thing,’ and then spins up — ’I’m going to take care of this.’ That’s Mike McClain.”

Still, with McClain’s family members seated behind Madigan’s in the courtroom, Collins seemed to tread lightly on critiquing McClain, at least so far. Collins’ argument was expected to continue Monday after a lunch break.

On Jan. 8, day two of Madigan’s testimony, the former speaker distanced himself from both McClain and former Ald. Danny Solis, who secretly recorded Madigan for the FBI.

Madigan was asked by McClain attorney Patrick Cotter whether his relationship with McClain had survived in the 40 years since they’d served in the state Legislature in the 1970s and 1980s.

“It did, until recently,” Madigan testified.

Cotter also asked if Madigan agreed that McClain “earned a certain amount of trust as a lobbyist?”

At the time, yes,” Madigan said.

Multiple juries have been told McClain served as an emissary of Madigan at the state Capitol. And McClain’s attorneys last summer predicted Madigan’s attorneys would ultimately point the finger at McClain — despite their decadeslong friendship.