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CHICAGO (CN) — Jessica Basham, onetime chief of staff to former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, took the stand Wednesday in Madigan’s ongoing federal corruption trial. Much of her testimony focused on lists of people Madigan’s office recommended for state board and commission positions to the then-nascent office of Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker between 2018 and 2019.
Basham testified she served as Madigan’s chief of staff between June 2018 and August 2021, following the departure of Madigan’s prior chief Tim Mapes — now convicted for perjury — amid sexual misconduct allegations. During that time, she said she communicated on multiple occasions with Pritzker’s staff regarding recommendations for state boards and commissions. Jurors also saw evidence that Madigan, through Basham, often requested updates on how Pritzker was leaning on the recommendations.
Among the Pritzker staffers that Basham kept in contact with regarding the state boards was Nikki Budzinski, previously one of the governor’s top advisors and now a U.S. representative for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District.
Local NPR news outlet WBEZ reported in June 2020 that Pritzker’s administration hired at least 35 of the then-speaker’s recommended personnel. Basham, per a document jurors saw Wednesday morning, found in 2020 that Madigan’s recommendations had a “47% success rate” — that the governor’s office acted on 43 of the 91 people Madigan’s office recommended.
One prominent individual whom Madigan’s office recommended for a seat on the Illinois Commerce Commission in February 2019 was Carrie Zalewski, wife of former Democratic Illinois state representative Michael J. Zalewski — not to be confused with his father Michaeal R. Zalewski, a former Chicago city councilor and longtime Madigan ally.
State records show Pritzker appointed Carrie Zalewski to the commerce commission, which helps regulate utilities in Illinois, in March 2019. She then chaired the commission between April 2019 and June 2023, when she stepped down months before her term was set to expire this past January. Pritzker’s office announced her upcoming departure on March 10, 2023, less than a week before the start of the federal “ComEd Four” trial that also implicated Madigan and Michael R. Zalewski.
WBEZ quoted the Illinois Commerce Commission saying Carrie Zalewski won her seat “on her own merits” in its 2020 story.
To further establish Madigan’s interest in state boards, prosecutors showed jurors Basham’s notes from a December 2018 meeting she attended with Madigan and then-governor-elect Pritzker. The meeting, Basham said, was largely a policy discussion on issues such as gun safety, cannabis legislation, sports betting and small business loan funds. But they also referenced several “MJM,” Michael J. Madigan, ideas.
“MJM idea — possible to reconstitute boards/commissions (e.g. Toll Highway Authority)” one note read.
“MJM idea — to help w/ recruitment, raise salaries for directors,” read another.
Basham’s testimony connected to that provided by former Chicago city councilor-turned-FBI informant Danny Solis, who spent six days on the stand as one of the trial’s star witnesses. In an Aug. 2, 2018, meeting with Madigan that Solis secretly recorded for the FBI, the speaker offered to help Solis land a state board position with the incoming Pritzker administration.
Madigan’s August 2018 meeting with Solis connected to testimony jurors heard Wednesday afternoon from Alliant Insurance Services’ senior vice president Jennifer Gavelek. Gavelek testified Alliant contracted with Chicago nonprofit the Resurrection Project in May 2020, following discussions with the Resurrection Project’s leadership that began in October 2019. Gavelek further testified that she was introduced to the Resurrection Project by her Alliant colleague Andrew Madigan — Mike Madigan’s son.
During the August 2018 meeting, Solis offered to help Madigan in exchange for landing a state board job. Madigan first told Solis “don’t worry about it,” but then said there was “one thing you can do:” help Andrew get in contact with the Resurrection Project.
“I’ll talk to them,” Solis tells Madigan in the video.
“Just ask them, give Andrew something,” Madigan responded. “Give him a chance to show what he can do.”
Gavelek testified that through December 2021 Alliant made $216,625 off of its contract with the nonprofit. Of that, she said, Andrew Madigan could claim a 20% commission of about $43,000.
Wednesday’s testimony from both Basham and Gavelek supports federal prosecutors’ accusation that Madigan was a political kingpin — the head of the so-called “Madigan Enterprise” — in Springfield and Chicago. Alternatively, his defense team has argued that he is a devoted public servant and family man; a leader committed to supporting his colleagues and effectively managing competing interests in city and state politics.
Despite the controversies that now surround the former speaker, Basham said Wednesday that she still considers Madigan a friend.
“I don’t think anybody works harder than Mike Madigan,” she testified.
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