Source: Politics<\/p>\n
CHICAGO \u2014 Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was charged with racketeering and bribery Wednesday in a 22-count federal indictment<\/a> that also names his longtime aide and ally, Michael McClain.<\/p>\n The charges represent the latest step in a long-building takedown of Madigan, who until his exit from the General Assembly last year, was the longest-serving House speaker in U.S. history. He later stepped down from his position as head of the Illinois Democratic Party \u2014 two posts he wielded to advance several liberal causes, including minimum wage hikes and legalizing gay marriage. At 79, he continues to lead politics in Chicago\u2019s 13th Ward, a white ethnic Democratic area that sits on Chicago\u2019s Southwest Side near Midway Airport.<\/p>\n U.S. Attorney John Lausch, during a press conference at the federal building in the Loop, Chicago\u2019s central business district, accused Madigan of leading \u201ca criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan\u2019s political power and financial well-being\u201d for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n The 106-page indictment comes two years after a federal grand jury took up the case, according to Lausch. The document also refers to the \u201cMadigan Enterprise,\u201d detailing how it included efforts to exercise, preserve and enhance the former speaker\u2019s position and wealth while rewarding his allies and political workers for their loyalty. In a particularly damning declaration, the federal filing says the scheme was used \u201cto generate income for members and associates of the enterprise through illegal activities.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s all part of a long-running scandal that\u2019s kept Democrats on edge for ages. The cloud of machine politics around Madigan was darkened by the investigation before crystallizing last year<\/a>: After nearly four decades as speaker, members of his own caucus turned on Madigan when the federal probe was revealed and Republicans weaponized the investigation to attack other Democrats in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n