Nearly a week after he first took the stand in Michael Madigan's corruption case, former Alderman Danny Solis left the courthouse Wednesday, having wrapped up for prosecutors his three-and-a-half-year stint as a government mole that began in mid-2016 and ended when his cooperation was inadvertently made public in early 2019.
That particular political bombshell dropped just weeks after Solis recorded his last in-person meeting with then-Speaker Madigan at his 13th Ward office.
And while Madigan was never physically in the frame of video recordings, among other things, a body-sized punching bag of outgoing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was visible.
One recording played in court went as follows:
"I figure I can still help you a lot," Solis said.
"Good, yeah," Madigan said.
"So, I'm committed for that," Solis said.
"OK, thank you, so do you want to go forward now on one of those state appointments?" Madigan said.
Madigan, who has remained firmly focused on Solis' testimony this week, is charged with, among other things, illegally using his office to squeeze large developers into hiring his private tax law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner.
Solis, who at the time was the chair of City Council's powerful Zoning Committee, helped to make introductions to the businessmen in charge of the Union West apartment building in the West Loop and the Old Post Office building.
He also engaged the speaker and co-defendant Mike McClain in a more than year-long ultimately failed effort in Springfield to get the state to transfer a Chinatown parking lot to the city, so that it could be redeveloped into a hotel, which would in turn give its tax business to Madigan's law firm.
According to prosecutors, it was as part of that scheme that Madigan in turn agreed to help Solis obtain a lucrative paid state board position upon his retirement from City Council, by getting then incoming Gov. JB Pritzker to make that recommendation.
"Alright, OK, but, you should get me, um, like a resume," Madigan said in the recording.
"I'll start working on it now," Solis said.
"Because I want to have a meeting with Pritzker the week after next," Madigan said.
Pritzker is not accused of any wrongdoing. He was interviewed by prosecutors pre-trial. And has publicly said he "does not recall" Madigan ever making any such requests.
While prosecutors have wrapped up their questioning of Solis, the former alderman remains on the stand.
Defense attorneys are expected to mount a vigorous cross-examination of him starting next week.
