Michael Madigan leaves the witness stand after testifying about Danny Solis: “We all have regrets in life.”

Before he left the witness stand Tuesday after nearly 12 hours of testimony over four days, ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan explained why he kept meeting with then-Ald. Danny Solis, even though Solis had caused him “a great deal of surprise and concern.”

Madigan told a jury he thought he’d effectively delivered a message to Solis “that there would be no ‘quid pro quo’” in 2017. He said he gave the 25th Ward City Council member “the benefit of the doubt” after that, given their lengthy political relationship.

But Madigan, who was regarded as Illinois’ most powerful politician before Solis helped the FBI end Madigan’s reign with a historic corruption investigation, also told the jury that “we all have regrets in life.”

“One of my regrets is that I had any time spent with Danny Solis,” Madigan testified.

It was a seemingly revealing moment that followed four hours of cross-examination by a seasoned federal prosecutor, who interrogated Madigan about his ongoing dealings with Solis even after Solis dropped the words “quid pro quo” into a conversation.

Solis agreed in June 2016 to help the feds make secret recordings of people like Madigan in a bid to avoid prison for his own alleged wrongdoing. He testified in November that he regretted making the “quid pro quo” comment in a call with Madigan, labeling it “dumb” and “too blunt.”

But it turned out to be central to the cross-examination of Madigan by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu, who also turned to questions about Madigan’s son before his cross-examination ended Tuesday.

As part of an FBI ruse, Solis asked Madigan for help in 2018 landing a paid seat on a government board. During a follow-up conversation on Aug. 2, 2018, Solis promised the Speaker, “I’m gonna help you.” Madigan replied, “Don’t worry about it.”

But moments later, Madigan said, “There’s one thing you can do.” He asked Solis to help his son, Andrew Madigan, connect with a Pilsen not-for-profit. Andrew Madigan is in the insurance business, and the feds have tied $43,000 he made to his father’s chat with Solis.

Andrew Madigan is not accused of wrongdoing. But Bhachu on Tuesday challenged Michael Madigan about the conversation with Solis and how, after he asked Solis to help his son, Michael Madigan immediately made a comment about Solis’ own request for help.

“And I’ll — just leave this in my hands,” Michael Madigan said, referring to Solis’ desire to land a paid seat on a government board.

“You’re the one that turned the conversation back to the state board position after Andrew Madigan was mentioned, right?” Bhachu asked on Tuesday.

“The answer is yes,” Michael Madigan told the prosecutor.

Bhachu pressed on: “You’re the one who connected those two things in that conversation during that same time when Mr. Solis was talking about the state board position, right?”

“I was never connecting my recommendation of Mr. Solis to [Gov. JB] Pritzker to anything,” Michael Madigan insisted.

Michael Madigan left the witness stand around 2 p.m. Tuesday, and his defense team began to call additional witnesses. Among them was Bud Getzendanner, Michael Madigan’s longtime law partner.

Still, jurors appear on track to hear the last of the evidence in the case by Thursday, following about three months of trial and more than 60 witnesses.

Michael Madigan, who resigned in 2021, is on trial with his longtime ally Michael McClain for a racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors say Michael Madigan led a criminal enterprise designed to enhance his political power and reward his associates, with McClain acting as his agent.

Solis left office in 2019, after his undercover work for the FBI was exposed by the Chicago Sun-Times.

While being questioned by Bhachu on Tuesday, Michael Madigan also had a chance to explain comments he made on an infamous recording heard by jurors Monday, in which he joked that certain ComEd contractors had “made out like bandits.”

His attorney, Dan Collins, asked who he was talking about.

“I’m referring to lobbyists around the Capitol building in Springfield who generally only work less than six months a year and many times have a high level of compensation,” Michael Madigan said.

Collins asked Michael Madigan if he was referring to Ray Nice or former Chicago Ald. Frank Olivo, both former precinct captains in the 13th Ward. Michael Madigan said he wasn’t.

Former Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon was the primary subject of the tape. But defense attorneys say Gannon was not hired by ComEd at Madigan’s recommendation, prosecutors have not argued that he was, and Collins read a set of stipulations about witnesses who would support the defense attorneys’ claim.

U.S. District Judge John Blakey allowed jurors to hear the “bandits” recording after Michael Madigan testified last week that he was “very angry” to learn allies like Olivo and Nice had allegedly done no work while being paid thousands of dollars by ComEd.

Prosecutors say the money was meant to make Michael Madigan look favorably at ComEd’s legislation.

Bhachu on Tuesday also played a recording for the jury of Michael Madigan and McClain talking in December 2018 about a meeting Michael Madigan had with Pritzker.

The men purportedly discussed then-Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and Illinois Toll Highway Authority Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, who resigned under allegations of patronage hiring in 2019 following a report by the Daily Herald.

In the Dec. 4, 2018 call, Michael Madigan told McClain, “I, uh, put the knife into Cullerton three or four times” during the Pritzker meeting. McClain replied, “Good.”

Bhachu confirmed in court that Michael Madigan was talking about the then-Senate president. He also asked about Cullerton’s relationship to Andrew Madigan.

“He’s the godfather for my son,” Michael Madigan said.

Michael Madigan said he was upset that Cullerton “had decided to use campaign money to pay for negative advertising of me” during the 2018 election cycle.

“After that disagreement started … you elected to put a knife into Mr. Cullerton’s back. Is that right?” Bhachu asked.

“Figuratively,” Michael Madigan said.