Budzinski and "Sphinx" Madigan
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield) testified in former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s corruption trial Monday. (The Illinoize photo)
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Democratic Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield), a former aide to Gov. JB Pritzker, testified Monday in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Budzinski is the highest profile elected official of date to testify. She was a top official in Pritzker’s office before working in the Biden White House. She returned to Illinois and was elected to the 13th Congressional District in 2022.
From Jon Seidel of the Chicago Sun-Times:
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski told jurors in former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan’s trial Monday that Gov. JB Pritzker’s team gave “serious consideration” to job recommendations from Madigan and other legislative leaders, but would “absolutely not” have acted based on a private payment or benefit to Madigan.
Budzinski also acknowledged that Madigan was known around Pritzker’s office as “Sphinx” — a nickname Budzinski used in a December 2018 email but credited to others while testifying.
“I never talked to them about it,” said Budzinski, a former Pritzker aide, when asked to explain the nickname.
Budzinski testified about the influence Madigan had at the time. She said the Pritzker team had roughly 1,500 positions to fill after his election. She said the incoming governor’s staff “gave serious consideration” to recommendations from Madigan — as well as other top legislative leaders.
Jurors saw one email in which Budzinski referred to Madigan as “Sphinx” as she passed along a list of his recommendations. In another Dec. 24, 2018, email seen by the jury, Budzinski tried to make sure a recommendation didn’t fall through the cracks.
One legal expert we spoke to Monday evening said the testimony from Budzinski may have actually helped Madigan’s case, as Budzinski denied any undue pressure from Madigan in the selection process for jobs, boards, and commissions.
Budzinski’s office did not respond to inquiries from The Illinoize.