WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to Rod Blagojevich Monday, after commuting the Democratic former Illinois governor’s 14-year sentence for political corruption expenses throughout his first time period.
“It’s my honor to do it,” Trump stated. “I’ve watched him. He was arrange by plenty of dangerous individuals.”
The Republican president referred to as the Democratic former governor, who as soon as appeared on Trump’s actuality TV present “Celeb Apprentice,” “a really superb particular person” and stated the conviction and jail sentence “shouldn’t have occurred.”
Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on expenses that included looking for to promote an appointment to then-President Barack Obama’s outdated Senate seat and attempting to shake down a youngsters’s hospital. Blagojevich served eight years in jail earlier than Trump reduce quick his time period in 2020.
The previous governor’s spouse, Patti Blagojevich, reached by cellphone Monday afternoon after information of the pardon leaked out, referred a reporter to a spokesperson who didn’t instantly return a message looking for remark.
On the time that Trump introduced Blagojevich’s commutation in 2020, Trump had been investigated for his ties to Russia and their makes an attempt to intervene within the 2016 election. The president made clear that he noticed similarities between efforts to analyze his personal conduct and those who took down Blagojevich.
“It was a prosecution by the identical individuals — Comey, Fitzpatrick, the identical group,” Trump instructed reporters. He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the previous U.S. legal professional who prosecuted Blagojevich and later represented former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the company in Might 2017. Comey was working within the non-public sector through the Blagojevich investigation and indictment.
Former particular counsel Robert Mueller, who oversaw the investigation into ties between between Russia and Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign, was FBI director through the investigation into Blagojevich.
Already this time period, Trump has granted clemency to greater than 1,500 individuals, all of whom had been charged in reference to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol. The clemency, introduced on Trump’s first day again in workplace, paved the way in which for the discharge from jail of individuals discovered responsible of violent assaults on police in addition to leaders of far-right extremist teams convicted of failed plots to maintain Trump in energy after he misplaced the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump had expressed some sympathy for Blagojevich when he appeared on “Celeb Apprentice” in 2010 earlier than his first corruption trial began. When Trump fired Blagojevich as a contestant, he praised him for the way he was preventing his legal case, telling him, “You may have a hell of plenty of guts.”
Regardless of that, Trump on Monday made the puzzling declare that he “didn’t know him,” however then stated he believed Blagojevich appeared on his actuality present “for a short while.”
Over the weekend, Politico had reported that Trump is contemplating nominating Blagojevich to be U.S. ambassador to Serbia, in keeping with two individuals aware of the discussions. Requested on Monday whether or not he’s contemplating Blagojevich for that put up, Trump stated: “No, however I’d.”
When requested about experiences that he was contemplating appointing Blagojevich as ambassador to Serbia, Trump responded: “No, however I’d. He’s now cleaner than anyone on this room.”
The opportunity of the put up in Serbia was reported over the weekend by Politico.
Patti Blagojevich spent practically two years making public pleas for her husband’s launch throughout Trump’s first time period, showing usually on Fox Information Channel, which Trump devotedly watches. She drew parallels between her husband’s remedy and Trump’s, together with showering Trump with reward.
This Dec. 9, 2008 Division of Justice reserving photograph offered through WGN-TV on Friday Might 28, 2010 exhibits Rod Blagojevich following his arrest in Chicago. Blagojevich has pleaded not responsible to expenses that embody scheming to promote or commerce President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. His trial is scheduled to start out on June 3, 2010. (AP Photograph/Division of Justice through WGN-TV) MANDATORY CREDIT
AP Photograph/Division of Justice through WGN-TV
Trump’s resolution to commute Blagojevich’s sentence was met with bipartisan criticism in Illinois. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker stated on the time that Trump “has abused his pardon energy in inexplicable methods to reward his buddies and condone corruption, and I deeply consider this pardon sends the mistaken message on the mistaken time.”
In accordance with the Restoration of Rights Undertaking, a pardon sometimes removes the bar to sure civil rights, together with voting, serving on a jury, operating for public workplace, proudly owning a gun and retaining sure licenses.
The state Supreme Court docket revoked Blagojevich’s legislation license, nevertheless — an end result a pardon can’t reverse, in keeping with the Justice Division’s Workplace of the Pardon Lawyer.
Blagojevich additionally carries the burden of impeachment by the state Senate in 2009, an motion which, in keeping with the state structure, bars him from holding any state workplace. Final yr, a federal decide dismissed Blagojevich’s lawsuit claiming that the ban violated his and voters’ constitutional rights, however a spokesperson for the state Board of Elections stated it’s unclear whether or not the pardon would clear the way in which for him to hunt federal workplace.
Blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts. The seventh U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out 5 of the convictions, together with ones through which he supplied to nominate somebody to a high-paying job within the Senate.
Axios first reported the information of the anticipated pardon on Monday afternoon.
Value reported from New York. Related Press author John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.
