WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump granted ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich a full and unconditional pardon on Monday, 5 years after commuting his 14-year sentence for political corruption, telling reporters after erasing his conviction that he’s now “cleaner than anyone on this room.”
Blagojevich’s pardon and earlier commutation are a product of Trump’s grievances in opposition to Justice Division prosecutors, notably former Particular Counsel Robert Mueller and former FBI Director James Comey, who additionally performed a job in pursuing Blagojevich for making an attempt to “promote” the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he received the presidency.
After signing the Blagojevich pardon within the Oval Workplace, together with a slew of different government orders, Trump stated, “It’s my honor to do it. I’ve watched him. He was arrange by a number of unhealthy individuals, among the identical people who I needed to cope with. He wasn’t fairly as profitable.”
Trump’s signature ended a saga that began on Dec. 9, 2008, when federal brokers arrested Blagojevich on corruption costs at his Ravenswood residence a number of weeks after Obama’s election. He turned the primary Illinois governor to be impeached and, in 2009, faraway from workplace.
Blagojevich, 68, met Trump when he was a contestant on Trump’s “Movie star Apprentice” present in 2010, earlier than his courtroom case was totally resolved. Although he ended up being “fired,” Trump took a liking to the outgoing former governor.
Trump on Monday didn’t point out Blagojevich was launched from a federal jail after serving eight years following the commutation he issued to the previous governor in 2020. It isn’t recognized why Trump, who didn’t pardon Blagojevich in 2020, did so Monday.
“I didn’t know him aside from, I imagine, he was on ‘The Apprentice’ for a short while. He was a really good particular person. He had a improbable spouse, she fought like hell to get him out,” Trump stated about Patti Blagojevich, who used interviews on Fox Information throughout Trump’s first time period to ship appeals to Trump to free her husband.
Misstating the sentence, Trump stated, “He was given a sentence of like 18 years and it was type of a horrible injustice. They have been simply after him. They go after lots of people. These are unhealthy individuals, the opposite facet, so I feel he’s a really advantageous particular person and this could by no means have occurred. And it shouldn’t have occurred to him. Let him have a traditional life and exit and do what he has to do.”
Politico lately reported that Trump was contemplating nominating Blagojevich, a Serbian American, to be U.S. ambassador to Serbia. Requested by a reporter within the Oval Workplace if that’s what Trump meant to do, the president stated, “No, however I’d. He’s now cleaner than anyone on this room. He received a pardon. He’s cleaner than anyone within the room.”
After Axios broke the information earlier on Monday that the pardon was within the works, Blagojevich talked to reporters exterior of his Ravenswood residence, earlier than Trump took motion.
“The one factor I’ll say is I don’t suppose it’s applicable for me to touch upon any rumors which can be swirling round, I feel, besides to say one factor, that I’ll all the time be profoundly grateful to President Trump for the whole lot he’s performed for me and for my household. It’s eternal gratitude. He’s a fantastic man, I feel the world of him and I feel he’s going to do nice for America.”
The pardon comes within the bigger context of Trump’s condemnation of federal and state prosecutors who indicted him in a number of circumstances, in addition to others he deemed unjustly pursued. Since retaking the White Home on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered probes of prosecutors who dealt with circumstances in opposition to him and referred to as for the firings of different prosecutors assigned to circumstances of individuals accused of crimes associated to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol to stop Joe Biden from turning into president. Trump commuted or pardoned everybody with a Jan. 6-related conviction.
New York Mayor Eric Adams, who has more and more aligned himself with Trump, particularly on the problem of migrants and sanctuary cities, on Monday noticed the Justice Division drop his corruption indictment.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Unwell., blasted the pardon — and the potential of Blagojevich being tapped to be the ambassador to Serbia.
“In a state with greater than its justifiable share of public corruption, the Blagojevich chapter nonetheless looms as one of many worst. America and Serbia deserve higher,” Durbin stated in an announcement.
Blagojevich’s political profession was launched after he married Patti Mell, the daughter of then-Ald. Dick Mell, the highly effective thirty third Ward boss.
In 1993, Blagojevich was elected to the state Home; in 1997 received a congressional seat anchored on Chicago’s North Aspect. He received his first time period as governor in 2002, with the primary signal of bother coming in 2004, when stories surfaced that his administration was beneath federal investigation.
Nonetheless, he was re-elected in 2006, along with his downfall beginning with the 2007 arrest at his residence. His first trial in 2010 resulted in a verdict on just one depend, mendacity to the FBI. A 2011 retrial ended with a jury discovering him responsible on 18 counts — with 5 of them dismissed in 2015 after appeals. Blagojevich was by no means discovered responsible of taking any cash whereas in workplace.
“I made positive Rod Blagojevich was barred from holding state or native in workplace after I voted to take away him as governor. Our disgraced ex-governor held hostage funds for sick youngsters in a marketing campaign money shakedown. It’s no shock Trump doesn’t suppose Blagojevich dedicated any crimes,” state Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs stated.
The Illinois Normal Meeting impeachment of Blagojevich means he can’t search a state workplace. A pardon doesn’t change that.
