Laughing matter: Rauner amazed anyone surprised by Madigan ‘news’

After spending six years painting his chief political nemesis as the face of Illinois corruption, former Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday — with a lot of laughter and a few expletives — called the revelation that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was secretly recorded during the FBI’s investigation of Ald. Danny Solis completely unsurprising and a long time coming.

“It certainly would have served Illinois if this had come out 20 years ago,” Rauner said of revelations contained in a federal affidavit. “This should have come out 20 or 30 years ago.”

“What’s amazing to me is that in the media, this is news.”

The Sun-Times on Tuesday reported on the affidavit the newspaper obtained that revealed the FBI taped a 2014 meeting Madigan had at his private law firm with a developer brought in by Ald. Danny Solis, whom Madigan ultimately did not do business with. The document did not accuse Madigan of any wrongdoing, and the powerful Southwest Side Democrat has not been charged with anything.

But the fact that the document zeroed in on the meeting had many Madigan critics raising their eyebrows and wondering if the federal authorities had anything else on the veteran speaker and partner at one of the city’s most lucrative property tax appeal firms.

The speaker on Tuesday released a statement saying, “To my knowledge, I am not under investigation by the Office of the U.S. Attorney, and I have not been contacted by the U.S. Attorney relative to Dan Solis.”

Rauner returned a call to the Sun-Times on Wednesday on his way back from a family trip to react to the Madigan news, often laughing in response to questions about the speaker and the investigation.

In August, Rauner said “clearly” the speaker has been “doing unethical things,” even going so far as to say, “I hope he’s been doing something illegal, and I hope he gets prosecuted.”

On Wednesday, the former governor was reminded that Madigan had not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

And Rauner again expressed “hope” that the Solis and Burke investigation could yield criminal convictions.

“I hope so. It’s long overdue. That whole rat’s nest — Burke, Madigan … [former Cook County Assessor Joe] Berrios.”

Rauner said the revelation shouldn’t come as news to anyone.

“I was on the [Civic Committee] steering committee for years,” Rauner said. “This stuff is common knowledge in the business community. This has been and is like Mafia behavior. Victims don’t talk about it because you fear retribution.”

The former governor, who spent millions on negative Madigan mailers and TV ads, accused Madigan and Burke of intimidating those seeking legal work for their buildings.

“I’ve been talking about it. Everybody knows. When a business owner comes in or there’s a new building in Cook County — I don’t know how they carve up the market between [Ald.] Ed [Burke] and Mike, but one of them calls, or one of their cronies call — depends on the day — and say, ‘We do property tax appeal work and we want to work for your building.’”

“The guys are totally freaked out. ‘Holy s—. Who are you again?’ And they’re scared. And then often times one of their [people] call and say, ‘You better use their firm,’” Rauner said. “This has been going on for decades. And some guys swallow hard and say, ‘Oh s—. I don’t want the retribution,’ and never answer the phone. They use somebody else or leave the city. A lot of people are not investing in Chicago because they don’t want to deal with these guys.”

Rauner — as he did during his term — called Madigan “the most powerful politician in Chicago and in the state of Illinois.”

“He’s been in control for 35 years. He’s totally integrated in a family empire. It’s like a Mafia empire. It’s his family business and it’s totally corrupt and rife with conflicts,” Rauner said.

Asked for a response to Rauner’s remarks, Madigan’s spokesman referred a reporter to the speaker’s lawyer, who declined to comment.

Profanity and relief aside, Rauner said he did not take a reported trip to New Zealand but instead “went out west” post-election. The former governor declined to comment about his opinion about Gov. J.B. Pritzker doubling the salaries of 20 high-level employees out of his own coffers.

As for when he’ll be back in a public spotlight, Rauner said he has “no specific plans — not something I’m seeking.” But he said he plans to spend several months away with his family and friends: “backpacking, hiking, and motorcycle rides.”

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