>>> FORMER ILLINOIS HOUSE SPEAKER MICHAEL MADIGAN IS PREPARING FOR A JURY TO DECIDE IF HE RAN A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE AS THE STATES MOST POWERFUL POLITICIAN AS HE FACES A TEAM OF PROSECUTORS EMBOLDENED BY A PERFECT RECORD OF CONVICTIONS IN TWO TRIALS.

WE ARE NOW JOINED WITH MORE ON WHAT WE COULD EXPECT ONCE KNOWN AS THE VELVET HAMMER AND REMIND US WHAT HE IS CHARGED WITH.

>> HE FACES 23 COUNTS THAT ESSENTIALLY ALLEGE HE RAN A RACKETEERING OPERATION AS SPEAKER OF THE ILLINOIS HOUSE AND USED HIS OFFICIAL POWER TO ENRICH HIS FRIENDS AND FUNNEL BUSINESS TO HIS PROPERTY TAX LAW FIRM AND HE WILL STAND TRIAL ALONGSIDE MICHAEL MacLEAN, ONE OF HIS CLOSEST CONFIDANT EVEN INTO THE 70s WHEN THEY SERVED TOGETHER IN THE ILLINOIS HOUSE AND THAT TRIAL IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL.

>> WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THIS AS WELL AS THE CASE AGAINST THE FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF?

>> THE SAME TEAM OF PROSECUTORS THAT WILL FACE MAD AGAIN IN APRIL CONVINCED TWO DIFFERENT FEDERAL JURIES THAT THE PEOPLE SURROUNDING MAD AGAIN WERE ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE AS THE OPENING ACT WITH MADIGAN'S TRIAL AS THE HEADLINER.

NOW, THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE WHAT THEY LEARNED IN THOSE TWO TRIALS AND TELL A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STORY, THAT ALL OF THOSE CRIMINAL ACTIONS WERE BENEFITED AND ORCHESTRATED BY ONE MAN, MICHAEL MADIGAN, WITH THE HELP OF MICHAEL MacLEAN.

>> GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT HIS DEFENSE WILL BE.

>> HE IS ASKING THE JUDGE TO TOSS OUT WIRED CONVERSATIONS SAYING THEY WERE ILLEGALLY OBTAINED.

IF THAT DOES NOT SUCCEED, HE IS LIKELY TO ARGUE TO A JURY HE DID NOTHING CRIMINALLY WRONG BUT JUST ENGAGED IN LOBBYING AND POLITICS AND WHILE IT MAY NOT BE PRETTY IT IS LEGAL BUT THE PROBLEM FACING HIM IS THE SO-CALLED COMMENT FOUR AND THE JURY DIDN'T BUY .

>> YOU ARE IN COURT FOR A HEARING IN THE CASE AGAINST MADIGAN AND McLEAN WHO YOU SAID HAS ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED IN A RELATED CASE AND WHAT DID WE LEARN TODAY?

>> THE JUDGE IN THE CASE ROBERT BLAKELY WANTS NO MORE DELAYS AND IT WILL GO TO TRIAL IN APRIL AND THE PROSECUTORS AND DEFENSE ATTORNEYS HAVE TO BE READY FOR THAT SO IF HE GOES TO TRIAL IN APRIL MADIGAN WILL HAVE TWO YEARS BETWEEN INDICTMENTS AND TRIAL WHICH IS EXTREMELY LONG CAUSED IN MY COVID-19 SHUTDOWNS AND A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE AND HOW DIFFICULT A 23 COUNT INDICTMENT IS.