Trump Pardon’s quarreled former Illinois -Guvern Rod Blagojevich: NPR

Former Illinois government and convicted Felon Rod Blagojevich speaks to the press outside Dirksen Federal Courthouse in August 2021 in Chicago.

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President Trump has pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of corruption-related crimes, including attempts to sell a US Senate seat vacated by former President Barack Obama.

Blagojevich served as the State Governor of 2003-’09. It was a political saga towards the end of his time in office.

In 2008, federal prosecutors blamed Blagojevich of making Illinois’ government a money recording for itself by trying to shake a children’s hospital and racing track owners. When prosecutors accused Blagojevich for corruption over the Senate seat, they presented as evidence of a gang-filled telephone conversation he had, which was secretly registered by the FBI.

“I mean, I’ve got this thing and it’s (expressively) golden. And I just don’t give it up for (explicit) nothing,” Blagojevich said.

He argued that he simply dealt with political horse water and he went on a national advertising tour to preach his innocence.

Blagojevich was impeached and postponed as governor in January 2009 and then accused on March. The year after he appeared and was started by Donald Trump’s Reality -Tv -Show, Celebrity apprentice.

Blagojevich was sentenced in 2011 and was later sentenced to 14 years in prison. He sentenced eight years, his time behind the pillars, which was cut off after President Trump commuted Blagojevich’s verdict during his first term of office.

Many leading Illinois democrats and Republicans criticized the move. The then President of the Illinois Republican Party said in a statement that in a state where corrupt machine -style policy is too common, it is important that those who found culprit detect their prison sentence in its entirety.

After being released from prison, Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, held a news conference. He was a released political prisoner and called the criminal system both broken and unreasonable.

“We want to express our most deep and eternal gratitude to President Trump,” Blagojevich said. “How do you correctly thank someone who has given you back the freedom that was stolen from you?”

The former Democratic Governor also declared himself a “Trump-Wokrat.”

President Trump said he gave Blagojevich a full pardon. He called Blagojevich’s phrase a “terrible injustice,” and he called the former Illinois Governor, a lovely man.