Closing arguments are set to begin Wednesday in the perjury trial of former Democratic insider Tim Mapes over allegations that he lied before a grand jury to protect his longtime boss, former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Prosecutors have said they will present up to two hours of initial arguments and about 45 minutes in rebuttal.Mapes’ attorney, Andrew Porter, has not given an estimate for the defense argument but told U.S. District Judge John Kness “I have a lot to say.” ]
He faces up to 20 years in prison on the obstruction count, while the perjury charges carry up to five years behind bars. His attorneys have argued that he did his “level best” to provide truthful answers. They also accused prosecutors of asking open-ended questions and failing to provide Mapes with any corroborating materials that might refresh his recollection of years-old conversations.
The faults of human memory and Mapes’ state of mind after he was forced to resign in 2018 were the focus of Mapes’ defense, as his lawyers pushed the argument that he was truthful in the grand jury but just couldn’t remember answers to the questions he was asked due to the stress-filled, intimidating nature of the grand jury setting in March 2021.
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