The jury in Michael Madigan’s corruption trial heard numerous nicknames given to the powerful Democratic Speaker of the House, ranging from the obvious, like “MJM” or “Mr. Speaker,” to the more esoteric such as “Himself” and ” our friend.”
But on Monday, they heard a new one: “Sphinx”.
That’s the nickname given to Madigan by some members of JB Pritzker’s team after Pritzker’s election in 2018, according to U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who was a top aide to Pritzker before his election to Congress in 2022.
The nickname, a reference to the mythical figure of Egyptian pharaohs typically used to express strength and ferocity, was used in an email released during Budzinski’s testimony referencing a job recommendation from Madigan for the new administration by Pritzker.
“Attached is the most recent list of recommendations from the Sphinx in advance of your meeting today,” read the Dec. 4, 2018, email Budzinski sent to Pritzker and his future chief of staff. office, Anne Caprara. “We noted them during our process and they come through our portal.”
This isn’t the first time Madigan has been called Sphinx in political circles. In fact, some of the speaker’s friends and colleagues sometimes called him “the Sphinx of Pulaski Road,” a nod to his 13th Ward headquarters at 65th and Pulaski.
But Budzinski’s testimony was the first the jury had heard about it. And although she confirmed that “Sphinx” was a reference to Madigan, she couldn’t explain why.
During cross-examination, Madigan’s attorney, Lari Dierks, asked whether the nickname “Sphinx” was part of Madigan’s “myth” in Springfield.
“I can’t really talk about it. That wasn’t my nickname,” Budzinski testified.
The image of Madigan, a famous resident of the Irish southwest, as a monumental desert colossus with the head of a human, the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle, brought a certain levity to a day of testimony otherwise quick and dry. Madigan’s trial, now in its 10th week.
U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey recessed the trial for the day after just an hour so the parties could attend services for longtime 7th Circuit Judge Joel Flaum, who died last week at age 88.
Testimony resumes Tuesday morning. Prosecutors said they could rest their case later this week.
Madigan, 82, of Chicago, who for decades served as speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and head of the state Democratic Party, faces racketeering charges alleging he ran his state and its political operations as a criminal enterprise.
He is charged alongside his longtime confidant Michael McClain, 77, a former ComEd contract lobbyist from upstate Quincy. Both men have pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Budzinski, a Springfield Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last year, served as a senior adviser to Pritzker during his 2018 campaign to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner and was later a key aide to the new administration by Pritzker.
When she took the stand Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu asked her, “When you’re not testifying in federal court, can you tell the jury what your day job is?”
“I am a representative of the United States,” she said. “I represent Illinois’ 13th District in Congress.”
After Pritzker was elected in 2018, Budzinski became executive director of the transition committee, helping to “select, interview and hire a number of individuals in state government and on boards and commissions.” Pritzker had final say on any hiring, Budzinski said.
The transition team set up a government portal where all applicants had to register, Budzinski said. Other candidates came through LinkedIn and other social media. They also followed the recommendations of elected officials and other members of government.
Budzinski said she knew Madigan had been “a legislative leader for a very long time” and that they had “seriously considered” any job recommendations from him. But she said the recommendations from one of the four legislative leaders were by no means a lightning victory.
“We did a lot of due diligence,” Budzinski said. “We really took it very seriously to review every recommended candidate.”
Jurors saw an email from Budzinski to other members of Pritzker’s transition staff saying they had the resume of a guy from New York seeking a position with the Illinois Department of Transportation which “should contain MJM”.
“We need to at least call him and maybe consider him for second place,” Budzinski wrote.
According to the indictment, one of Madigan’s recommendations was then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who was working undercover for federal investigators and asked Madigan to help him get a board position in the Pritzker administration as part of an FBI buildup.
Jurors previously watched a secret video in which Solis asked Madigan to help him get on a state board that paid at least $100,000, including either the Labor Relations Board or the Commerce Commission of Illinois.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Madigan sent Solis information about state boards and commissions in response.
The indictment against Madigan alleges that he spoke with Pritzker in December 2018 and mentioned Solis as a candidate for a seat on the board.
But Budzinski was not asked specifically about Solis in her testimony, which lasted only about 30 minutes.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
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