The Illinois Democrat known as “the Velvet Hammer” will finally face justice. Michael Madigan has been indicted on racketeering charges alleging a variety of extortion and bribery schemes that yielded financial gain for Madigan and his associates.
It’s an ignominious capstone on a legislative career in Springfield that dates back to 1971, including 36 years as House speaker and more than two decades as the head of the Illinois Democratic Party. His daughter, former Attorney General Lisa Madigan, once explored running for governor, but pulled the plug on the idea when it became clear her father wasn’t going to step down.
Over the years, Scott Stantis has chronicled Madigan’s political twists and turns in cartoons he drew for these pages. Here’s a sample.
Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
