Trump Grants Full Pardon to Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2011, has been granted a full pardon by President Donald Trump. Blagojevich, who served eight years of a 14-year prison sentence before Trump commuted his sentence in 2020, was found guilty of multiple corruption-related crimes, including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former President Barack Obama.
Blagojevich, a Democrat during his time in office, was impeached and removed from the governorship in 2009. Federal prosecutors accused him of turning Illinois’ government into a personal moneymaking operation, including efforts to extort campaign contributions from a children’s hospital and racetrack owners. A key piece of evidence in his trial was a profanity-laden phone call secretly recorded by the FBI, in which Blagojevich referred to the Senate seat as “golden” and expressed his unwillingness to give it up “for nothing.”
Trump defended his decision to pardon Blagojevich, calling the former governor’s sentence a “terrible injustice” and describing him as a “very fine person.” Blagojevich, who has maintained his innocence, thanked Trump during a press conference, calling himself a “freed political prisoner” and a “Trump-ocrat.” He also criticized the criminal justice system as “broken and unfair.”
The pardon has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in Illinois, with some arguing that it undermines efforts to combat corruption in the state. Blagojevich’s case remains one of the most notorious examples of political corruption in Illinois history.
Trump pardons disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
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Trump pardons Rod Blagojevich, who tried to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat
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Blagojevich served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat.
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Donald Trump pardons former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich
Blagojevich served eight years in prison over corruption charges before it was cut short by Trump.
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Trump gives full pardon to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Both Trump and Blagojevich have drawn comparisons between their respective legal woes
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Trump pardons former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence in 2020. The former governor had served about 8 years on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack
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