U.S. Rep. to testify next at ex-Illinois House speaker’s corruption trial

[December 09, 2024]  By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Illinois is expected to testify Monday at the public corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.

Budzinski, D-Springfield, has represented Illinois’ 13th congressional district since 2023. The Democrat incumbent won her reelection against Republican Joshua Loyd last month.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Budzinski was a special assistant to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and worked as a member of his transition team when he was governor-elect in late 2018 and 2019.

Last week, U.S. government attorney Sarah Streicker introduced emails from former Madigan chief of staff Jessica Basham to Budzinski and Anne Caprara, who was Pritzker’s campaign manager and future chief of staff, with personnel recommendations for the governor-elect’s administration and transition team. Basham said she prepared the emails as directed by Madigan.

Prosecutors say they worked with Budzinski to schedule around possible congressional votes in Washington. The congresswoman is expected to follow lobbyist Nancy Kimme to the witness stand.

McClain brought Kimme into negotiations to arrange a transfer of state-owned land in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood to the city’s government for a development project. The “Chinatown parcel” is located along Cermak and Wentworth avenues in the city’s 25th Ward, which was represented by then-Alderman Daniel Solis.

On Thursday, government attorney Julia Schwartz played a May 16, 2018, recording of a conversation between McClain and Kimme. During the call, Kimme told McClain she was surprised to learn that state Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, was not in favor of the Solis-supported Chinatown development proposal.

“Essentially, she’s like, 'This is a scam cooked up by Danny Solis. You know, people in my district don’t like him,'" Kimme said.

A frame from undercover video captured July 18, 2017, featuring former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan presented to a jury during Madigan's corruption trial Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.

Kimme said Mah expressed concerns about gentrifying Chinatown and told her the people didn’t want the development.

“I told her, 'you wouldn’t be doing that. You’d just be giving the land to the city and then the city has a process.' And she goes, 'He’s the head of the zoning committee and it’s all greased for him. Don’t kid yourself.'” Kimme said on the recording.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors played recordings of Madigan and McClain discussing the project with Solis and real-estate developers. Several of the conversations were secretly recorded by Solis in cooperation with federal investigators.

The Chinatown land transfer remained under discussion until the end of the 2018 legislative session. Then-state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, added the parcel as an amendment to a bill she was sponsoring, but Kimme said it ended up in “the dust heap.”

Jurors also heard recordings of conversations involving political deals about Illinois State Toll Highway Board positions.

In a call recorded on Dec. 4, 2018, McClain asked Madigan about a meeting.

“I think it went well. You know, I put the knife into Cullerton three or four times,” Madigan answered, referring to then-Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

“Good,” McClain said.

“As he deserves, but that’s one of the reasons I’m calling you. Apparently in the summer, Cullerton was telling J.B. that he should keep Schillerstrom at the toll road,” Madigan said.

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