Mike Madigan’s troubles a boon to lawyers — legal bills exceed $1.5 million

Mike Madigan’s troubles a boon to lawyers — legal bills exceed $1.5 millionHouse Speaker Mike Madigan dipped into his campaign funds for more than $418,597 in legal fees over the past three months, bringing the total he has spent on lawyers since last year to more than $1.5 million.

The Southwest Side Democrat’s legal headaches heated up in February 2018 amid allegations made by political consultant Alaina Hampton that one of Madigan’s longtime political aides sent her barrages of unwanted texts.

And Madigan’s situation only worsened.

Since then, the longest serving statehouse speaker in the country has endured two federal lawsuits, the exodus of his former chief of staff and a key legislative ally amid harassment allegations, and a federal court affidavit first obtained by the Sun-Times in January revealed Madigan had been secretly recorded during a 2014 meeting with then-Ald. Danny Solis (25th) and a developer who wanted to build a hotel in Chinatown.

The latest campaign finance records covering the period from July 1 to Sept. 30 show Madigan spent $360,582.04 on legal fees from his Friends of Michael J. Madigan campaign fund during the period. He has used that fund to spend a total of $1,493.144.48 on lawyers since Feb. 1, 2018. More than $1.1 million of that total went to the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson. And $20,000 went to his personal attorney Heather Wier-Vaught during that span, Illinois State Board of Elections records show.

Erin Brown/Sun-Times

Madigan’s other main campaign fund, the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, has paid $3,068.50 to Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll since Feb. 1, 2018, records show. Kelly Smith-Haley, a partner at the firm, was hired by Madigan in February 2018 to “receive and investigate harassment allegations” regarding the speaker’s political staff.

Madigan also paid Hinshaw & Culbertson $58,015.73 this quarter, from the 13th Ward fund.

It all brings Madigan’s total legal tab since February of 2018 to $1,554,228.

The Sun-Times in July reported that seven legislators gave Madigan $751,400 — just as the speaker’s legal bills mounted and federal investigations touched some of his allies.

The lawmakers who spoke to the Sun-Times about what for most were six-figure donations insisted it was business as usual, routine fundraising by the powerful Southwest Side Democrat, who also serves as Illinois Democratic Party chairman.

Many Illinois politicians dip into their political accounts to pay legal expenses.

Indicted Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) spent $391,582.74 on lawyers in August and September alone.

Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

But the federal affidavit the Sun-Times first revealed in January underscored the legal concerns facing the veteran politician.

Though Madigan did not appear to cross any lines in that meeting, the document revealed that federal investigators have had their eye on him for years. Specifically, the affidavit said the feds believed Solis had “agreed to take action in his official capacity as an Alderman for private benefits directed to Michael Madigan.”

Sun-Times archives.

Madigan has plenty left to spend on lawyers, if he needs to.

His Friends of Michael J. Madigan reported $7.4 million cash on hand on Sept. 30. The 13th Ward Democratic Organization reported $2.16 million in the bank.

There were no legal fees disclosed in the latest expenditures from State Sen. Martin Sandoval’s Friends of Martin A. Sandoval fund. FBI agents were seeking evidence of kickbacks in exchange for official actions — as well as information related to five Illinois Department of Transportation employees and several lobbyists — when they raided the Southwest Side Democrat’s office in the Capitol building last month, records show.