Feds subpoena AT&T records over Boss Madigan

Well, my old employer finds itself in the news--and not in a good way.

From WGN-TV:

Federal investigators are now looking into AT&T's dealings with Illinois house speaker Michael Madigan.

The Chicago Tribune reports federal prosecutors subpoenaed the company earlier this year.

Last week, Madigan’s office was asked for all documents involving AT&T including contracts and lobbying services.

Records show the company’s lobbying team has several of the same former Madigan staffers as ComEd, which is now charged with a bribery scheme.

AT&T says it is cooperating with the investigation.

Madigan, who has been state house speaker for 35 of the last 37 years has also been chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party since 1998. Madigan has been part of every budget process in Illinois for decades. America's sixth-most populous state is bankrupt in all but name.

More from the Tribune:

Meanwhile, AT&T Illinois President Eileen Mitchell was a top Madigan staff member during the 1990s before joining AT&T in 2003 as a vice president of external affairs. She also worked briefly as chief of staff to then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

AT&T and its employees have given heavily to Madigan’s campaign coffers, racking up more than a quarter of a million dollars in donations to three separate funds the speaker controls since 2016 alone, state election records show.