CHICAGO (WLS) — Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s co-defendant Michael McClain’s defense began closing arguments Tuesday.
The jury began hearing defense attorney Patrick Cotter’s closing arguments on Tuesday morning.
Madigan’s defense team wrapped up their final presentation to the jury on Monday.
Madigan’s team started Friday afternoon, following a 12-hour closing argument delivered by the government over two and a half days.
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Madigan’s defense attorney Dan Collins continued his final presentation to the jury Monday by tearing into former alderman-turned-government-mole Danny Solis.
“He’s not simply a walking microphone,” said Collins, referring to the prosecution’s description of Solis last week, when they told the jury to set aside the long list of crimes committed by the former Zoning Committee chair.
Prosecutors asked the jury to assess his contribution as a witness solely on the basis of the mountain of undercover recordings he provided during his two-and-a-half-year cooperation.
“This is all a stage production by the government and Danny Solis,” said Collins, who has repeatedly said prosecutors have no evidence to prove the former House speaker ever solicited or received bribes from Solis or anyone else.
The tear down was just one of three Monday.
Madigan’s defense attorney applied the same treatment to former ComEd Executive Fidel Marquez, who, like Solis, turned government mole to avoid prosecution for his role in what the government has described as a years-long effort by the utility company to bribe the then-speaker in exchange for his help in Springfield.
Marquez recorded dozens of his phone calls and meetings with other ComEd executives, as well as with Madigan’s co-defendant, Mike McClain.
Collins said McClain was just an old lobbyist exaggerating his importance to others, using Madigan’s name without the speaker’s knowledge to push his own agenda.
On Friday, the judge told the jury not to expect to start their deliberations before Tuesday.
It was 14 weeks ago when the jury was first seated.
After McClain’s defense, the jury will hear the government’s rebuttal before going into deliberations.
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