Madigan is accused of leading a criminal enterprise designed to enhance his political power and enrich himself and his allies. Michael McClain, his longtime friend and ally, is also on trial and accused of acting as Madigan’s agent.

Madigan was sworn in, sat down, unscrewed the top of a bottle of water and began answering questions in a loud, plain Chicago accent. Dressed in a gray suit and blue and red tie, Madigan looked directly at the jury as he spoke, using his hands and talking conversationally.

For the second day in a row, the famously tight-lipped former Speaker of the Illinois House Michael Madigan testified in his federal corruption trial. For Madigan, a call to the stand was an apparent opportunity to distance himself from long-time confidant Michael McClain and inform a jury of eight women and four men,

The brief remark offered the greatest public glimpse into the relationship between the two men, aside from their body language in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge John Blakey, since they found themselves on trial for a racketeering conspiracy.

Mike Madigan and Mike McClain have known each other since they both were state representatives in the 1970s, but their decades of friendship is now strained in the face of multiple corruption charges.