Secret Video Recordings Played in "ComEd Four" Trial
Former Commonwealth Edison executive Fidel Marquez, who was a government informant, secretly recorded video of conversations with “ComEd Four” defendants Michael McClain, John Hooker, and Jay Doherty.
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Prosecutors Tuesday played multiple secret video recordings captured by former ComEd executive turned government informant Fidel Marquez in early 2019, outlining a scheme to continue employing lobbyists with ties to then-House Speaker Michael Madigan for doing little to no work.
The first video we’re put together for you is from February 7, 2019 as Marquez and Madigan associate and retired lobbyist Michael McClain dine on pizza at a Springfield establishment. McClain is one of the defendants in the case. The two discussed convincing incoming ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez to keep three subcontracted lobbyists on the payroll.
(Pardon closed caption inaccuracies as my video editing program did it automatically.)
The second video is six days later on February 13, 2019 when Marquez and lobbyist Jay Doherty, another of the four defendants, discussed at length the ways the company had attempted to curry favor with Madigan over the years. Doherty admits the subcontractors on his payroll don’t do much work.
The third video is between Marquez, McClain, and John Hooker, a ComEd lobbyist who is also a defendant in the trial after Dominguez pushed back on the contracts for the no-show lobbyists.
There is some serious eye-roll inducing lobbyist talk in here, but it is astounding to see how concerned they are about keeping Madigan happy.