I never liked Rod Blagojevich. Never voted for him.
But I always thought he got a raw deal. Relocating him to a Colorado Federal Prison, so far away from his family, was especially cruel and heartless.
I did not think his family should have paid as heavily a price for the crimes he committed. That kind of extreme punishment of separation so far away was not necessary.
14
Cruel and heartless?? Was he charged 5cents a minute to read books? http://bookpatrol.net/the-cost-of-reading-in-prision-in-west-virginia-its-5-cents-a-minute/
9
@Marge Keller
Anytime a person commits a crime and is found guilty, their family suffers, and they give up control of their lives to the prison system. I'll save my sympathy for the poor slobs who are still in prison with gargantuan sentences for defending themselves from domestic abuse, or minor drug offenses. What this man did was a true danger to our democratic system, and he still hasn't acknowledged that he did anything wrong.
47
@Marge Keller
A raw deal? He was convicted of a crime and had to pay (part of the) price. Perhaps Blagojevich should have considered the consequences before committing the crime, for the sake of his family. But, he didn't and they suffered too.
34
I'm sure the Republican Party will welcome Blago with open arms.
Now it's time to go after all the witnesses and prosecutors that treated him so unfairly.
The Gov is a freed criminal not a political prisoner. Let’s see how he tries to scam a living now that he’s off the taxpayer dole.
The man did what so many other politicians do. Let remember the good he provided and the sacrifice he made for our country. He made for his mistake and let wish this individual all the happiness and self achievement and recognition that I would like him to have for the remaining years of his life.
Anyone who thinks Blagojevich's sentence was too long or too harsh only has to listen to his remarks today and they'll realize his sentence wasn't nearly long enough. He showed no remorse and took no responsibility.
4
Trump's message couldn't be any louder. It is the same mantra he preaches daily from his perch in DC. It is the same message Barr has deliberately made strikingly clear as the nation's top law enforcement agent.
His message is that corruption will not only be tolerated, it will be rewarded. You view every move Trump has made as president through that prison and his actions look less reckless and more malicious.
When Trump campaigned to "drain the swamp," the "swamp" to him meant those willing to do their job and not look to grift. People who don't care about party affiliation and won't look the other way for a payoff? That is Trump's version of a "swamp."
Guys who sell Senate seats to the highest bidder? To Trump, those are the ones doing their jobs correctly.
American interest and the good of the country is no longer important. It is the same reason why Trump wants countries to pay the US for military help and/or intervention.
Everything is for sale. Congratulations, Blago. This is your time to shine.
333
Still the same loser.
Trump and Blagojevich have a lot in common. They both are inveterate liars.
4
Poor, poor Blago. He is absolutely right though. Under the new standard of conduct articulated by BLOTUS and his lawyers, it is not a crime for an elected official to betray the public trust, violate his oath, violate federal and state law, and personally benefit in doing so, as long as he believes it is in the best interest of the public that he be re-elected. What a great standard! It is a license to lie, cheat, pillage, and plunder all in the name of self-interest.
5
Hope that EB will judge to be of historical value to others my second comment on daily life in Prison de Fresnes while I was an "estivant" there in 1963. Remember Prosper Merime's words,"J'aime l'histoire par anecdote,"and those that I recount should be of interest to others.Thanks.
With all the truly innocent non-violent folks in prison - Trump releases his own support group:
“White Collar Criminals for Trump”.
Gee, he can really recognize “injustice” when he sees it.
Governors who sell a seat in the Senate? Can’t be a crime, can it?
Jailing junk bond manipulators? Never!
Meanwhile, Trump doesn’t like what the leaders of our 17 intelligence agencies say happens to be the truth.
So he appoints them a new “acting” boss.
He calls himself the chief law man in town, apparently readying himself for a high-noon shoot-out with last month’s Top Trumpanista Barr.
Sale of government isn’t a crime. Free the “political prisoner” the guy who will lie about “lock ‘im up Barack”.
Intelligence agencies must all be wrong, or “deep state” enemies.
Clamp down on them and give the nation’s top secrets to another political crony.
Make it impossible for even your best friend to do the jobs they’re given.
And give a medal to one of the biggest traffickers in lies claiming to be news, after freeing war criminals.
What a platform to run on!
The nation needs two healthy political parties.
All but the most dedicated party loyalists and those ignorant of the way our government works know that.
If Trump doesn’t take “his” GOP down in flames or the Democrats manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, we may be looking at the last real US Presidential Election.
Assuming there is one.
A State of Emergency could very well end all that makes the US special for good.
1
@Eatoin Shrdlu
I am betting on a carona virus scare or some there excuse to spark a state of emergency. They are IMHO scheming as the sitting duck opposition to Trump squabble about who their candidate will be. The existential urgency of America slipping into totalitarianism is not addressed. The Dems should hold an emergency meeting and choose a candidate. The non candidates should sacrifice their egos and ambitions for the sake of the country and get behind a selected person now and grant themselves a reprieve from the circular firing squad.
1
I would have been sympathetic to an argument that his sentence was too long, but then Blago opened his mouth and proclaimed his innocence and victimhood. Now I think the needs another five years in prison to think harder about what he did.
4
His sentence was reduced to allow him to leave but his legal status as a convicted felon stands.
5
Let me get this straight. So if you’re black and guilty of buying a joint, you go to prison for life. If you’re white and guilty of subverting our democracy, you get 9 years and then pardoned by our evangelical president.
Makes sense. Praise Jesus.
5
Quelled Blague. Wasn’t the commutee governor while Trump was getting permits to build a tower in Chicago? Hm.
1
Rome is right around the corner---when Blago--you know, the guy selling senate seats as if they were a Costco sale...says he was a political prisoner---a political prisoner---NO he was a felon---listen to his tapes..we are lost as a nation....
10
Did Blago also ride home on a horse?
3
He has recidivism written all over him.
12
Of course he is remorseless - Remorse is an sentiment predicated upon shame and like so many elected Illinois officials, he has no sense of shame. Neither do many residents of Chicago and that is one of many reasons I no longer live in that place.
4
So what does this all mean?
Will there be a Blago et Cie selling senate seats or not and where can people put in a bid for available senators?
Will foreign governments be allowed to bid? Putty Put may want to extend his hold on a scofflaw regime.
Will #45 normalize these practices?
Finally, and this is important, how much are the opening bids for South Carolina and Kentucky? ROFL :D
4
Every day, Trump takes us one step further into what life is like under the rule of the Corleone family.
8
The “political prisoner” who was convicted, by a jury of his peers, on 18 counts. That’s not a typo, that’s eighteen.
12
As a Chicagoan, I’m glad to have Blago back. I hope he runs against J. B.
Sincere question: Why?
He seems remorseless and totally devoid of scruples. And, in these circumstances, that makes him seem quite unintelligent.
5
@Cineaste Oooooooh….that would really own the libs! I hope you contribute money right away.
No go, Blago! Just keep quiet, please!
2
Dear Former Governor.
Go away.
10
It would not surprise me if a month ago Trump had no idea who Blagojevich, Milken, DeBartolo, and Kerik were. However, Trump desperately, and I mean desperately, wants to win the popular vote, as well as the electoral college. Thus, there are undoubtedly many of his political operatives figuring out how to accomplish that. On one hand, there are the obvious efforts to promote the weakest Democratic candidate, especially by having Trump people vote Democratic in functionally open primary states, such as New Hampshire, South Carolina, and California.
At the same time, they are going after the votes of specific communities with whatever they can come up with. It is not coincidental that the Gang Of Four pardoned/commuted today is composed of Americans whose heritage is Italian, Serb, Jewish, and Russian/Celtic, and who are from differing urban areas, ethnicities and locales with whom and where Trump is not particularly popular and with whom he is trying to make inroads, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
One commenter rhetorically asks why Trump doesn't act like other executives and wait until he is a lame duck to issue pardons. Apart from the political agenda I reference above, I would note that Trump is obviously lame already, and after today's moves regarding China, it's clear he's Peking's duck.
One could pursue that image further, perhaps linking his lame and limp mini-tweeter to an attempted duck insertion, but I wouldn't think of doing that.
2
Not Jewish - he didn’t let Madoff out - the guy’s lawyers claim, at least, Mr. Ponzi has less than 18 months to live.
I’m no fan of the guy who put on his funny little hat so he could rip off his co-religionists by impressing them with his “piety”.
But I am concerned about compassion, keeping prisoner people who are beyond committing another crime - and, mainly, the cost of caring for terminally ill patients behind bars.
There are two reasons for imprisoning anyone - the first is the sick notion of punishment - the thrill too many get seeing a miscreant mistreated for no real reason.
The second is to keep a dangerous person from being a further danger to society.
That’s why the penalty for politicians convicted (as Trump should have been) based on the clear evidence of commission of high crimes, is inability to ever hold elected office again.
In this day, perhaps it should be amended to include transportation for life to a pleasant Pacific atoll cut off from all means of communication with the rest of the world.
A home for our would-be dictators and sellers of Senate seats.
Please don’t give this cretin anymore airtime. He did enough damage to Obama that he should have served his entire term.
5
isnt this that treasured spirit of compromise and bipartisanship this paper has been so obsessed with promoting for almost 4 years now? go ahead and pat yourselves on the back really. you deserve it
1
@Concerned Citizen "isnt this that treasured spirit of compromise and bipartisanship this paper has been so obsessed with promoting for almost 4 years now?"
No.
@Concerned Citizen Well, if it were bipartisan, Trump would be pardoning corrupt Democrats at the same rate he pardons corrupt Republicans.
But I don't remember anyone being in favor of corruption, even if bipartisan.
2
Political prisoners are jailed because they have opposed or criticized the government responsible for their imprisonment. Rod Blagojevich wishes that he could be a"political prisoner". Unfortunately Rod's crimes are more aligned with those of the current administration than the "crimes of Stephan Biko, Bobby Sands, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela. I am sure Rod will have no trouble finding employment working for his liberator in some form.
4
He has a sort of screwy gift of the gab, should fit in comfortably behind an anchor desk on Fox News.
2
Unrepentant, despite being palpably guilty. Permanently aggrieved, despite being palpably guilty. An habitual liar, utterly corrupt, and ridiculous hair. Whatever persuaded Trump to pardon him?
12
Because they're two peas in the same pod?
1
John Bowen
Yes. I think that is what CritterDoc was alluding to.
Critter Doc - Funny. Thx.
no, buddy, you were an imprisoned politician, which is not quite the same.
9
I was hoping his 15 minutes of fame was up a long time ago. How do you get rid of a zombie? lol
6
What a gaggle of palookas.
4
And he’s available to start his new job with the Trump Administration just as soon as he gets settled.
6
Seems like Trump triggered some liberals by pardoning...wait for it: a liberal, lol.
2
@M - Trump pardoned a....let's use the annoying phrase "wait for it:".. a criminal.
4
@b fagan You forgot to "lol". It is vitally important you not forget to "lol"!
4
when you accept a pardon you have to admit your guilt.Supreme court decision stated in burdick vs. United States.
Uou can't accept a pardon and than deny your guilt.
5
Maybe He learned a useful “ Trade “ in Prison. Meet Trumps new Barber/Stylist. No Reference necessary.
5
Welcome to the Divided States of Corruption! It’s a free for all and may the best con man win! I miss my America so much it hurts my very soul.
9
You can see why Trump likes him. He's shameless and combative. Perfect for Fox News!
5
A "freed political prisoner"?? In the dictionary next to "chutzpah", there's Blago's photo.
6
Garbage In, Garbage Out!
6
We’re gonna need a bigger Swamp.
10
Another show executive produced by Donald Trump with the storyline, "I can mete out pain or I can mete out pleasure. Choose wisely."
5
There’s a Hero.
And there’s a TrumpHero.
One bears no relationship to the other.
5
Blagojevich is a political prisoner like Mandela got an extended perk to stay on a resort island.
And while we're on the subject, no one has been more unfairly treated than Trump, since Al Capone. Hey, Capone gave lots of money to poor widows and orphans (shhhh - don't ask!).
5
Blagojevich was a DEMOCRAT. Trump's pardon adds up to - "If you're a politician who violates the law, breaks the rules, and attempts to enrich himself; you're off the hook, because me and all my friends are doing it - get over it." All his friends are mainly Republicans; but many are in other countries; including the man Trump admires most - Putin - the most corrupt politician in human history.
6
Yes, most political prisoners are caught on tape selling political appointments. This clown is a perfect example of how Donnie is abusing the pardon power (Clinton did it too) and will continue to do so because he knows the corrupt GOP sold its soul and will do nothing to stop him. Don’t walk along 5th Avenue without a bullet proof vest if Trump is in town.
7
"Mr. Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois, spoke of having his sentence for corruption commuted by President Trump and described himself as a “freed political prisoner.”
What a fool. He's a freed criminal. No more, no less.
9
Gosh this headline is such sensationalism.
@PP Sorry, but I listened to what the man said, and the headline is entirely accurate. He described his completely justified imprisonment as "having my freedom stolen from me."
He is Trump-Lite.
3
OMG! I must be crazy to have actually watched this man talk. Donald Trump, forgive me. I thought you were the only one that had those far-far-far-out-of-this-world ideas and opinions about yourself. I thought you were the only deeply-religious family man persecuted by federal lawmen for crimes you did not commit. Trump-Blagojevich 2020?
Wow... How many times he mentioned God and Trump. Are they one and the same for some? I am believing to think so!
But I must say. I am definitely proud of not being a baa baa Democrat (Or Republican). I vote for the best candidate, not for the party. And I definitely did not vote for Rod in 2002 or 2006.
2
It's a no for me.
1
Get that pompadour glistening black and join the Elvis circuit. The crowds will roar for more on the “Blago’s back” tour. This performance will clearly show why a Trump cabinet position is clearly in the cards. Anyone who can out apprentice the apprentice is here to stay.
2
14 Years seemed an amazingly harsh sentence for what he did. In Canada, maybe he would have got 6 months - not 14 years. After serving 8 years - a release from prison is justifiable. Not sure why the USA loves to throw people in jail for decades.
Can anyone explain why a 14 year prison sentence was justifiable for his crimes? Was money paid - was a senator actually appointed, did he have a big mouth - for which he got 14 years.
2
@Randy
How 'bout this one? If a common guy in America did what Blagojevich did; he would have gotten 14 years.
Blagojevich plead guilty.
7
Ummm … He tried to subvert democracy and make a profit from it? Just a guess.
6
@Randy - how much DO federal officials go for in Canada?
In Illinois we have had a problem with politicians enriching themselves on our dime. If you don't lock them up, the replacement politicians might get the idea that they can govern the same way.
3
Do you think he is going to jump into the democrat race?
I am a downstate Illinois boy, Democratic party member and voted for Blagojevich. He had everything going for him, bright future in politics. But he was not a political prisoner, he is crook.
15
@Jeff -- same here from Chicago - I agree with you 100%. I started regretting my vote as soon as he decided that rather than move to the governor's mansion, he was going to spend our money commuting back and forth to Springfield. Then it got worse.
Lock him back up!
3
Rod, with your attitude you'll end up back in prison. Don't assume that your criminal buddy Trump will be there to help you.
4
ever notice how much people like this sound like trump? first thing out of their mouths is the victim card.
7
Blago was doing a little bit of quid pro quo. The Senate just confirmed tgat it is ok. Also the great legal mind of Alan taught us that if something helps the president then it helps the country. So extend this to the state.
Blago was political prisoner, he was selling political power and got caught jus as his benefactor did.
2
Rod was a repulsive person before prison. And now, after prison? He's still a repulsive person. He sure is a proud Trump supporter. Certainly no surprise. Just another self-dealing crooked politician if ever there was one.
9
This act is Trumps way of saying if you cheat to help me win, and you get caught, I will pardon you so go right ahead and start cheating.
2
"Mr. Blagojevich was swiftly impeached, unanimously removed from office, convicted and cast out by his own party." How I wish we had seen this sentence with "Blagojevich" replaced by "Trump".
6
I thought accepting a pardon = admitting guilt. Looks like he wants to have it both ways!
2
I guess I am at a loss to understand why the media gives such people a platform to spew their nonsense.
What did he say that was of any value or will make America better?
2
“Political prisoner”? More like a corrupt politician - the kind Trump was supposedly trying to weed out in Ukraine.
3
The recent Trump's pardening spree made me muse that:
In Banana Republic the Dictator sends political opponents into prisons; whereas, in the USA, Donald Trump releases his political friends from the prisons. You will be a free person as long as you support the person in charge of running the country.
1
another worst-of-the-worst recruit for Trump's rogue army. Never mind the country, just stick with me.
2
Blagojevich can continued to be "punished"... he and his family can be denied seats in restaurants, shops, anyplace business is conducted. If you want to shame him, make the denial public and post it on YouTube. Record it on a cell phone.
4
And Trump voters, where do you stand on this? The guy was clearly guilty, but this commutation is okay?
2
Perhaps he was released because he is truly the biggest carnival clown in the country, and in comparison the others presently in office seem like regular people.
Does anyone else find Trump’s forgiveness of malfeasance by a white man in Chicago anomalous when he constantly decries anything Chicago that deals with non-whites?
4
Guess Trump had to pardon him before he could name him to replace Barr.
1
Rule of law is history if we re-elect this abomination.
4
So Rod the Deplorable is for Trump. This is news?
Blagojevich should have been imprisoned for the rest of his rotten life. He, like Trump, is rotten to the core.
3
Blagoyevich is a real piece of work. Rod would make a great White House Chief of Staff in the Trump White House. Blago is amoral, corrupt, unethical and he has no scruples. In summary, Rod has all of the credentials and attributes that Trump likes in his sycophants.
4
Blagojevich and Trump, two peas in a pod.
3
A future member of Trump's cabinet or administration ... or his monarchy on a whole, if Trump get's another term.
7
Ah Shucks! but JMO that he is still corrupt now, see you on Fox TV.
1
Political Prisoner? Really? Give me a break.
4
Just Trump's latest outrageous Machiavellian maneuver designed to ensure that either he or another oligarchy of choice wins the presidency.
The current Narcissist in Chief does not fool me.
2
At the end of the day Blagojevich is still a convicted felon and Trump is still an impeached president.
11
Blago is perfect for the next AG after Barr goes under the bus. Perfect in every way. Maybe the most perfect attorney general yet, so perfect you'll be sick of perfection.
18
The swamp is being drained!
Rod is now free to wreak havoc, but first he needs to let the world know that he's been freed by the Great and All Knowing Emancipator. A victim, shacked in chains, is now paying fealty for the largesses bestowed upon him. Alas, his freedom will come at a very high cost, as Trump will surely expect something in return.
5
I lived there when this happened. But every politician did the same even after Blagojevich went to jail. Alderman trade campaign donations for lucrative zoning changes still. The hypocrisy of the situation in Illinois. So glad I left!!
1
Trump sure knows how to pick a candidate for commutation. Ole Blago is one day out of the joint and pronounces himself a “political prisoner.” Repentant, sees the error of his past conduct, takes responsibility for his actions...not a chance!
I imagine he’s likely to get a Mar-A-Lago invite and a place on a campaign stage with Eddie Gallagher. Character counts, right?
5
@Eric May as well throw in a Medal of Freedom while you're at it...
8
Trump is very effectively establishing polarity in our government. Actions like this leave no room for expectations of compromise on anything, or make any engagement so unpalatable to the point of revulsion. All part of his campaign.
I wish every outraged person here could translate that outrage into action. We need more than healing, we need to learn from the absurd descent we have witnessed (my personal opinion it started in 1980) and revisit and revise our means of government to serve our best interests and needs. This is clearly not being done now, in a wholesale fashion.
This wasn't about Blago. This was about a message Trump wants to send to other criminals.
5
Too bad the current Republican-majority Senate didn't have the guts to do what the Illinois lawmakers did to Blagojevich: impeach, then remove from office, then sentence, a vile and corrupt "leader". And how will Trump supporters react to this most recent revolting flouting of the law, especially those supporters who may have been affected by the corruption of these felons (Milken the perfect example)? Just like Trump himself, these shameless men portray themselves as victims. when they are corrupt to the core their very dark souls.
5
@Daniel Castelaz
It is called white privilege!! They did what they did but they don't deserve the same punishment Joe Blow would have received! Trump, in all his corruption and impeachment, believes it was the fault of a Democratic Congress instead of himself who is breaking laws at a record speed!
3
Blagojevich is probably the lowest of the lowest when it comes to Public Servants. Pardoning him is horrible. He will now capitalize on his infamy and be on every talk show he can get on. I hope the Media ignores him, which is what he deserves.
5
@Philip W He will always have a home at Fox
3
He can talk all he wants, in fact he can talk till the cows come home, no one wants to listen to what this crook has to say.
3
Meanwhile, on death row, actual innocent Americans await their demise...
7
If they aren’t rich and white trump doesn’t care. He doesn’t even recognize them as true Americans.
2
Illinois / Chicago is the poster child of our corrupt political system through out the United States. Rod Blagojevich (D) and his predecessor Jim Ryan( R), where simultaneously in prison for government corruption. Illinois governors have been sent to prison before but to have two consecutive Governor's convicted and jailed is galling. Corruption comes at a great cost to citizens ; many American's now see our political system as two opposing group of gangs-bangers.
Blagovjeich never showed a second of contrition, hence his long prison time. Blagovjeich never waned to be Governor of Illinois, he ran because it's darn near "legal" for Illinois politician's to take bribes and steal. If you're a liar / thief go into politics because it's better than being a bank robber. Isn't that's why Trump ran, to expand his brand? Yep, birds of a feather...
3
Barrel back up to the trough Rod, there's plenty of room and no rules in this here swamp!
2
Pardon Michael Cohen whose life you ruined.
4
what trump did wasn't illegal, this time. move on.
1
Rod Blagojevich is 100% the swamp. Does #Cult45 know the difference anymore?
6
That small group of people do not speak for the rest of us in Chicago. Please, Calgon take me away!
2
What did one narcissistic opportunistic shiftless politician say to the other one?
“Pardon me.”
And he did.
9
He’s a pariah. He’s done.
5
@Bar1
Who? There are a few to choose from in this crocodile infested swamp.
3
Keep him talking. Nothing is going to make this stink worse than if this repugnant criminal keeps talking. Bloomberg should buy him airtime in swing states. This is what you are voting for America.
5
The multiple crimes for which Blagojevich was convicted were proven by overwhelming evidence. The evidence, including audio recordings, proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He not only tried to cash-in on a Senate vacancy, but he also attempted to extort money from a children's hospital. His comments upon release make it obvious that he did little to reflect on his breach of the public trust while incarcerated. The commutation of his sentence is yet another example of a corrupt President having no respect for legal process. This is little more than a prelude for Trump pardoning Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. I hope the American voters wise-up.
10
@Tula
You say Blagojevich "he also attempted to extort money from a children's hospital." Maybe Trump saw a kindred spirit in this Trumpocrat. Donald misusing charity money, caging children, running a fraudulent university makes him a great fit for Blagojevich. Donald may need an alias soon; what about BRagojevich?
4
Maybe he’ll run for governor again unless it’s illegal for a convicted felon to do that.
1
@Jordan Davies
In Illinois? That shouldn't be a problem
2
It sounds like Blago hasn't learned his lesson and now knowing he can get away with whatever will get himself right back in trouble again. A corrupt person is a corrupt person. Eventually Trump will meet his Waterloo as well.
1
If he wants to get a job, he should leave Illinois. We don't want him here. Maybe he should consider Washington, DC, where he can slither around with the rest of the swamp creatures inhabiting that region of the country.
8
Blagojevich was a criminal and is still a criminal. A pardon from the Criminal In Chief changes nothing.
Thousands upon thousands of incarcerated men and women are honest about their mistakes and misdeeds that led to their convictions. All are far more deserving of pardons than Blagojevich, and would re-enter society making contributions that Blagojevich has no intention of doing.
7
“I slept on the top bunk,” Mr. Blagojevich recalled. “Often late at night I would look through that window and past those bars out into the night sky and I’d think of home, I’d think of my children, I’d think of Patti. Sometimes I could almost feel her near me,” he said.
______________________
I so did not need to know that.
2
@Astrid
Do you think he mistook her for a cell mate?
2
Tried to shake down a charity hospital low life.
8
@James mCowan
I guess shaking down a charity is a prerequisite for being part of Trump's swamp.
3
RRB is now the President's Mini-Me.
2
Trump sees himself and his own vile actions in every individual he pardons. He could careless about these individuals. He is only pardoning his own actions. May God have mercy on all their lost souls.
2
Mr. Blagojevich, then the Democratic governor, was arrested in 2008 when prosecutors said he had schemed to sell a Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama, who had newly been elected president.
A political prisoner, really...??! Blabo was caught on tape trying to sell or trade the (golden opportunity) senate seat to the highest bidder. He was tried and convicted by a jury of 18 count of breaking the law.
I guess Blago will switch parties and run as a Trump republican.
3
Let see, he pardons white men who commit fraud, why? I can’t imagine. Maybe he is sending a message. Like, oh I don’t know what it could be, but perhaps.....oh....Ohhhhhhh!
Do you think trump might have committed fraud sometime in his career? Wait....oh my...maybe....
3
If Trump was so concerned about government corruption in Ukraine, why did he just pardon someone who was convicted of corruption when he was governor of Illinois? Blagojevich was caught on a phone call attempting to sell a US Senate seat to the highest bidder. I guess that’s the kind of corruption Trump can relate to.
12
Only in today's Trump-swamped Reagan Restoration-era could a corrupt former governor convicted of pay-to-play claim he's a political prisoner. What a long downhill slide since 1980.
10
Just like Trump, it doesn’t sound like “Blago” has learned anything either. Send him back.
9
Corrupt politicians gotta stick together, right?
5
Crook freeing Crook......Heavenly Father please don’t let IL become a crook state
4
Blagojevich received the sentence he deserved. It is a travesty that trump commuted his sentence.
Not only did Blago try and sell Obama’s senate seat, he tried to extort campaign donations from the local children’s hospital. Who does something as twisted as that?!
Presidential pardons and commutations are suppose to be given to criminals who (among other things) have shown remorse for their crimes. Does Blago sound remorseful to you?
The media needs to stop giving Blago the attention he is seeking. Ignore him!
13
@Former Hoosier
Funny how all these convicted criminals from soldiers that were convicted of war crimes, to political corruption, all they have to do is make an appearance or complain to Fox News.
3
This is so right-on. Blagojevich is a criminal, not a political prisoner and he's receiving too much attention in the Chicago media. He should have served out his full sentence.
2
It's a field day for crooks in America! Get your pardons from the biggest crook of all.
10
Pardoning Rod Blagojevich makes perfect sense and to put his crime in perspective, it is not as if he withheld $400 million dollars of military aid for personal gain at the expense of America's national security.
130
@Son Of Liberty
Great comment.
6
@Son Of Liberty :
No. He only withheld millions of dollars from a children's hospital in return for a campaign donation. He also someone to put money in his pocket for a senate seat. But he didn't actually sell the seat, so that's OK.
10
@Son Of Liberty You must not live in Illinois. If you watched the 'speech'... Well, let's say, Trump has real competition as far as out-of-this-world-nutness.
8
“Bruised, battered, and bloody”
Boo hoo! Blagojevich always was dramatic!
3
Sure Mr. Sstrunk, you and Senator Collins can now both be assured these unrepentant egotistical bullies have learned their lessons.....it's the scorpion and the frog in stereo.
2
When I think of the grace with which wrongfully-convicted, mostly African-Americans, have greeted their release after many years spent in prison for crimes they didn't commit, this makes me want to vomit.
11
What a disgrace.
11
And corruption waltz’s back to Illinois, wonder if there’s any political offices for sale that Blago can buy? Say street sweeper, like in the old days with a push broom. Is it a surprise that Trump would free this corrupt clown, what did he have to pay for the favor? With Trump its always transactional so what’s the grift? Perhaps an endorsement from Blago’s friends and family, give his campaign in Illinois a little bipartisan flavor eh.
2
Now that we’re seeing that in Trump’s America crime really does pay, we should probably expect lots and lots more crimes!
2
Rod should fit perfectly on Fox news or in the Trump administration - a wacky corrupt, criminal, con man.
14
What is being released and unleashed here? The news gets more concerning each day.
3
@Bear Lass
We'll let you figure it out.
He was on one of Trump's 'Apprentice' tv show. This earned him a commuted jail sentence by Trump. He was not a political prisoner, just another crook who went to jail and should have stayed there to pay his debt to society.
5
@Tonjo
And Trump fired him, the democrats impeached and removed him, that's the connection to Trump impeachment, haw, haw.
The crooker you are the more chances to be pardon by the president of the United States.... Or even better...! To become the President of the US!
Bravo Republican White House and Trump supporters!
You are really doing a really, really great job shoveling the US down the drain...
4
‘A political prisoner?’ Please. Spare us. RB is a criminal just like the person who commuted his sentence. Welcome to post-law America.
10
What Blago did was wrong but 14 years seem excessive for a victimless crime when I think of the sentences people like Brock Turner got for much, much worse.
2
Victimless? We are all the victims of the white collar crimes that people like Trump and Blagojevich commit. Everyone of these criminals turn the world upside down and cost us unimaginable losses in time, money, opportunity, security, human spirit, our health, the environment, the planet and the future.
3
@Tyler Barkley
Oh God, well, Blagovjevich received a sentence within the federal guidelines. Judges should be especially hard on cops, politicians that abuse their position or authority, for corrupt purposes, its a gross violation of the public trust. The framers of our constitution believed that a violation of the public trust was an unforgivable offense, that is the basis of impeachment.
In case your unaware, there is an audio tape of Blagojevich selling Obama's empty Senate seat. Blagojevich isn't a victim of prosecutorial misconduct or fabricated evidence, unless the audio tape was fabricated (it wasn't). Like most convicts that don't want to accept the responsibility of their transgression(s) Blagojevich will play the victim. Including adding in the lie that he was "political" prisoner. But we don't throw politicians in prison because their ideology is different, not yet anyway, we leave that up to North Korea, and Russia, Turkey, you know, dictatorships.
We should throw them in prison for doing exactly what Blagojevich did, he was caught plain and simple, he was caught by his own words, in the audio tape. At one point he tell his then 26 year old nephew that if he was 4 years older, he would have given him a U.S. Senate seat for his birthday, Blagojevich ultimately wanted 4 million bucks...
https://www.fbi.gov/audio-repository/news-podcasts-inside-rod-blagojevich-public-corruption-case.mp3/view
1
Yes, you were a political prisoner. You went to prison for selling a political seat. Your 15 minutes are up...we better never see you as a paid talking head anywhere but we all know there's a good paycheck waiting at Fox.
6
More mentally ill narcissists roaming the streets and political airwaves.
9
Jerks band together he and trump deserve one another. Let us all hope and pray that Blago stays out of politics, he is a criminal.
2
Awww.... but still a felon my dear...
Still a convicted felon....
4
Now put trump in jail for taking a $1M from Sondland for EU Ambassadorship. In 20 years or so some Republican maybe will pardon him, or not.
7
With luck, no GOPer will occupy the Oval, except to dust and vacuum it for longer than 20 years.
1
What a buffoon
7
A crook frees another crook, as innocent children continue to be imprisoned at our border.
I'm not sure how you sleep at night America, because you have created a nightmare.
There aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe the depravity of all those involved, least of all the squatter-in-chief himself.
For shame.
216
@KM
He is a Democrat.
This is a shining example that no, both sides are not the same (when someone wants to put forth a false equivalency). This corrupt Democrat was stopped cold by other Democrats, until a corrupt Republican identified with him and set him free.
151
Rod shows no remorse, contrition - yet his sentence was commuted. Hmm, I am sure Trump thought, “My poor brother Rod. I would have done the same thing - grant a political favor to the one willing to pay the largest bribe.”
10
As an Illinois Democrat, I say, go to Florida.
8
Trump is normalizing corruption, because he wants to normalize his own corruption.
13
Sending Blago to prison for 14 years was overkill. Maybe he should have been impeached. But Trump, Pompeo, Barr, Giuliani, Kushner, Miller Ivanka, and countless other Trumpistas have done far worse. So although I know Trump did this to clear the way for pardoning those who have done far worse than Blago, I am happy that the now silver-haired one is out of jail.
2
@Mike Blago was impeached in January of 2009. First Illinois governor ever to be impeached.
4
Republican or Democrat, Trump just likes con-men, grifters and criminals. They’re his true base.
10
And half the country will agree with him because it "owns the libs". This is really a small matter and easy to be outraged by. Both houses of congress have been bought and paid for for decades. I don't recall any of them going to prison unless they fail to follow the "rules" the rest of them do, or unless the occasional sacrificial lamb is needed. As for the grifter in the Whitehouse, well, he doesn't even pretend. Why should we?
1
I'm sure Blago is not so naïve that he doesn't realize that the ONLY reason trump did this was to poke Obama in the eye yet one more time. Or is he.........
2
Maybe Trump just admired Blago's hair.....
4
Trump likes mafia personas.
1
"...Blagojevich...emerged from his brick bungalow...into shivering cold air on Wednesday, coatless, tieless and remorseless."
This seemingly matchless prose by journalist Julie Bosman justifies the cost of my NYT subscription. But it is no match for the eloquence of the long ago words that Blago used to describe his opportunity to appoint an Illinois U.S. Senator: “I’ve got this thing, and it’s golden...And I’m just not giving it up for nothing."
7
Pathetic! Trump has no morals or ethical understanding about justice and democracy. Blago was convicted, let him serve his time.
Trump will fall one day. And the world will witness it! He has it coming to him and his impeachment was just the beginning. You know, criminals eventually get caught!
6
The Swamp lives.
10
Shameful!
5
"Political prisoner?" I guess the way Al Capone was.
8
This man is a criminal who brought shame to Illinois. If he is smart, he will lead a quiet, private life from now on. He needs to stop giving media interviews. He needs to stay away from politics/lobbying/punditry entirely.
4
@E
Blago is not smart.
4
Obviously he’s not smart and hadn’t learned a thing.
5
He doesn’t seem very smart. He should keep a low profile but probably won’t. Trump’s actions are not admired by good people.
2
“prosecutors said he had schemed to sell a Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama”
No. He was convicted. 17 counts.
8
I wonder if the Medal of Freedom award will be issued to all of the pardoned in a group or single ceremony.
8
Folks, this is what bi-partisanship looks like in America’s new reality, Trumpworld. For my own sanity, I am trying to heed Mick McCulvey’s prophetic words, and “get over it.”
Corruption in Chicago is not a crime. It's a lifestyle.
3
“Now that he’s out, I hope he humbles himself.”
Don't hold your breath...
2
At least he can’t get those 8 years served back. BTW will Kerik be eligible to become director of Homeland Security now? You know he was treated so unfairly.
1
Corrupt, lying, narcissistic leaders can belong to any political party. But let it be a point of pride that Democrats are not protecting or excusing Blagojevich the way Republicans do with Trump.
3
I can't help but wonder why Mr. Blagojevich and why now? Is this the warm up act for the Roger Stone pardon?
1
I hope he was able to put his 8 years in prison to good use ... like learning a useful and law-abiding trade!
Does he get to vote?
1
Political prisoner what joke! Shows his morality and more the King in Washington who when he leaves office will occupy a jail cell Let see poor Blagojevich attempts to sell a Senate seat and nothing wrong with that. Of course who kids who we know he gave Trump an envelope of cash or I guess his wife to buy the pardon I just wonder how much does Trump charge to give one. Jim Trautman
3
I oppose incarceration anyway, but this pardoning corporate and political criminals is getting ridiculous...
3
The convicted ex governor of Illinois gets his sentence commuted and regards himself as a “freed political prisoner”
America. What have you become.
6
Blagojevich.
Don't know the guy, but he seems to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time under a wrong president.
A president who loved imprisoning people that disagreed with him: Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Stephen Kim, Donald Sachtleben, Jeffrey Sterling, John Kiriakou, etc.
The president didn’t imprison him. A jury and a judge did.
4
Since the current POTUS is running a criminal enterprise out of the White House, that he would pardon all these white collar criminals is no surprise as they are but copies of himself. Being a malignant narcissist it makes perfect sense that Trump would select these individuals as in his eyes they are a but a reflection of the “ stable genius” himself who hires only the best people. And don’t forget, Trump selected the wretched mad hatter, Rush Limbaugh, to be awarded the Medal of Freedom. Indeed, if there was a devil, Trump would mostly likely find a place for him in his administration as Stephen Miller’s assistant.
3
Political Prisoner? More like a prisoner of his own greed. Someone Trump can readily identify with.
3
What a guy! Trump loves a crooked politician no matter what his party.
3
Good move by Trump. Blago is a likeable media personality. He's going to make all the legal snakes who were so heartless with him look really bad. Just give him time.
One self-deluded megalomaniac set free by another.
The Trump unreality show continues.
3
Freed political prisoner? Is he kidding? Is this an elaborate practical joke? Is the American justice system real anymore? I know that black and brown people have had cause to feel this way forever. Now white Americans, too, get to experience the astonishment and despair of knowing there is no justice in America, only power. Thanks, Trump!
6
Keep it up, Mr.President. you're losing one region or interest group at a time. Even your staunchest followers in Chicago are going to have a hard time swallowing this one.
6
Shady guys do favors for other shady guys, and never for the reasons they say. Sometimes they are buying silence or loyalty. Sometimes they are paying back a favor or reserving the right to call in a favor later on. The bottom line is our president is a mobster.
7
to bad the president only pardoned the famous ones instead of all the others imprisoned . But then if Trump pardoned a common man and not a celebrity it might not make the news and we cant let that happen . I think letting a president circumvent our judicial system by pardoning criminals is stupid and should be made illegal . Blago broke the law he should pay the price like any other criminal would have and does
2
Trump-Blagojevich for 2020!
A winning combo.
2
@EdH
If nothing else, he’d be more expressive and talkative than the witless, white-haired throw pillow also known as VPOTUS. Not that a word out of his mouth would be anything but a lie, including AND and THE (apologies to Mary McCarthy).
1
Even though people generally believe that ALL politicians have zero morals, many still do, and they won't touch Blagojevich with a 10 foot pole. I certainly hope that no ethical Democrat goes anywhere near this Trump boot licker.
Hey voters, are you paying attention? Is this what the “salt of the earth” people of Wisconsin and Ohio and Pennsylvania think is justice? You vote for Trump, this is what you are getting. Or is just too funny to see liberals upset that the rule of law is being trampled on? I hope the laughs are worth it.
2
Blago will replace Mulvaney.
@Howard Clark Sure he will be running for the Republicans you know the Party of Lincoln now there is a real joke. Jim Trautman
I can only think of one word to describe Blagojevich and his keeper who freed him from his cage: SICK.
2
Brazen, delusional and careening toward another bust up with the law.
I used to visit Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary with a rabbi who ministered to Jewish and other prisoners. In one group meeting, one of the prisoners said, jokingly, 'there are only innocent men in here.' Blago apparently fit right in.
1
Chair of the ethics committee may be a good job for this gangster.
1
HIs sentence was commuted, he was not pardoned, so he's still a convicted felon and now he is firmly in Trumps pocket. Life in Chicago was better with out Rod in the picture. He's a con artist just like Trump.
3
Political prisoner, my you know what!
Blago actually called Trump a kind person. A brief glance at the President’s Twitter account, his official communion channel, will show that he’s a nasty, vulgar liar. Maybe Blago is applying for a place in the Republican administration, just the place where conmen belong.
The guy is an embarrassment to governance in America. Actually, guys...Blago and Trump.
1
A convicted felon inappropriately freed by a not-yet-convicted felon. Good luck with that job search.
2
Wow. Just wow. He's out. Banana Republic status beckons. Upside down is up. Downside down is up. Nothing makes sense.
3
Defiant and ready to talk, which means a lot of four lettered, thuggish words.
Great first sentence
There are minorities in jail serving time for selling pot serving longer sentences. This criminal was freed by a clown and all it does is further accentuate the divide between privileged whites and the rest of society. Blogo needs to go back to jail.
2
The lying creep is as honest as the guy who pardoned him.
2
Funny, not a real description of Mr. Blagojevich's offense. Never mind eh? That way when Roger Stone is free, it will seem like no big deal either. The grooming is underway and NYTimes is part of it.Shame.
1
Trump and Blago...birds of a feather.
1
I heard his smarmy voice and thought 'nothing has changed'. Ugh. Another clown to add to Trump's circus. I hope the media lets him fade to black. We have enough cons to deal with.
5
"Read All About It!" Get the latest headlines. Blagojevitch accepts the position of Attorney General following Trump's recent firing of William Barr.
2
Political prisoner? That's funny.
3
Trump sure has a way with plowing up dead guys. I would have preferred to never think of any of these creeps again, yet here we are watching these corpses rise and walking around with their arms extended like zombies from the glamorous days of 1990s spray tans, gold lame and males with perms and ratted hair. Barf me up a cow, Blogo needs to crawl back in his grave and take all these other night horrors with him. Political prisoner? LOLOL You spent too much time pinging off your own skull, pal. NO THANKS!
4
Mr. Blagojevich said that he needed to get a job. I would bet on a beeline to Fox and Friends followed by a more full time role. The idiotic dwarf that they feature as a sharp wit always needs sidekicks for his show, he should try that out.
2
"A freed political prisoner?" Fugghedaboudit.
5
I feel like many of this President's decisions are calculated to disrupt the news cycle and upset everyone but his base. Blag-in-the-bag is another win for Trumplandia; another loss for rest of the country.
2
A travesty of justice this loser is out.
What a banana republic.
3
The lawless Blagojevich "quoted the Bible and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
Shamelessness has a new patron saint.
Isn't that special ?!
9
Rod Blagojevich is a fraud, just like the “president.”
2
Re: "...He quoted the Bible and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He recited poetry. He denounced racism. He dropped a few Spanish words. He described himself as a “freed political prisoner” and said he hoped “to turn an injustice into a justice.”
I CAN imagine a LOT of labels I would / could apply to Mr. Blagojevich...
Precisely NONE, 'O, 'Em include 'political_prisoner', and, (I assume...), 'N, MOST would be considered unfit, to print!
Thus...I'll use an age old (NYC) expression:
Mr. Blagojevich...you're a (classic) 'skell'!
1
Trump's definition of crime is murder and rape committed by Mexicans against whites.
White collar crimes committed by whites––extortion; sale of public office; political assistance in a campaign; lying under oath––are not punishable.
3
I thought Blaho was a jerk when he shopped the Senate seat, but it was high time he was released. Now we should start releasing those convicted of minor, non violent offenses.
I detest Trump and mistrust his motives, but I have no problem with releasing Blago, whom I think is still a jerk.
1
One criminal pardoning another...
3
Having busted Blagojevich out of jail, when is the gangster-in-chief convening the next Legion of Doom meeting?
2
Trump must be grooming Blago to become a new member of Trump's cabinet.He could be the president's political consultant. They say that birds of a feather stick together. He is like Trump, apparently unable to differentiate right from wrong, morality from corruption. He would be the perfect fit for Trump's menagerie of swamp creatures.
149
@RLW
He will be the next attorney general!
12
@RLW Hard to say. He may have noticed that a lot of Trump's lackeys go to jail and he might not have the stomach for a return trip. Plus, we don't want him in Colorado anymore.
7
@RLW
Trump would be too envious of Blago's hair.
11
It stuns me that this idiot come out and claim that he's a political prisoner, we don't throw politicians in "prison" for their political ideology, dictators do. This guy was caught red handed the audio tapes prove he's a corrupt politician that tried to sell Obama's Senate seat.
Republicans just won't quit with this I'm a victim argument. Hes a victim alright, of his own corruption. Its amazing how a a few years in prison will whiten your hair.
181
@James
Yeah,all these poor old white guys are victimized by all "those people." They are like that old song, Charlie Brown": "Why is everybody always picking on me?"
6
@James The big lie is an effective tool of demagogues. The more disturbing issue is why it works. A nation of scared sheep.
6
@James
Or maybe he didn't have access to dye.
6
You're not a political prisoner, Rod, and its insulting to the prisoners of conscience everywhere for you to claim their hard-earned title. You are, instead, a self-interested crook who got caught red-handed doing something illegal. I'd say you're lucky another self-interested crook got "elected" president.
259
@AJ
It was a joke. A gesture to supporters, and bait to the press.
2
@DLS If claiming the status of "political prisoner" was truly his idea of a joke, it was a strange joke and a strange time to make it.
8
Political prisoner my foot. I'm surprised his tongue didn't burst into flames at uttering those words. Nelson Mandela, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Martun Luther King Jr., Vaclav Havel, Aunn San Suu Kyi - those are political prisoners. Blagojevich is a spoiled, greedy opportunist who got caught in the act of extortion. What an appalling Narcissist. He makes me sick.
241
That’s it. I give up. I am moving to Auckland.
4
trump, as those set free, did wrong. But in trump world that is to be rewarded.
Get rid of trump and republicans and fix this country.
And please nominate a democrat, not an independent.
1
He should stay out of politics and away from Trump. If he wants to work for those who are imprisoned, great, but dont hang on Trump's coattails or he will turn on you if you ever say no to him.
A bipartisan gesture by the president.
He's going to campaign for Trump and turn Illinois red against Bernie.
trump* had better ensure he has pardons already written for himself. He's going to need a few.
1
If O.J. Simpson can hypnotize himself into believing he could find the "real killers," I suppose Blago can convince himself that "bloody" and "defiant" is the way to go now. Nevermind that he was heard on tape selling a U.S. Senate seat. I think the operative expression here is "guilty as sin."
The creature who freed him would've bought that seat, btw. And then would not have paid for it, and would now be sued for non-payment.
2
Oh. Great. Another motor-mouthed martyr. I thought the one was enough for the world , but then along comes Mr. mini-mouth.
This is definitely a case were I would have joined the the chant
"Four More Years!"
2
If you think it's bad now, wait and see what happens if Trump loses the 2020 election. His vindictiveness would know no limits.
1
“... believing that he had been unfairly convicted for using language that was just the typical blustery talk of politicians.”
Typical of some politicians, maybe. But not honest ones.
Blago’s supporters should listen to the tapes that convicted him. “Political prisoner,” my ... eye.
1
Trump, Blagojevich, and others seem to believe they emit a reality distortion field. They perform criminal acts, some even high crimes and misdemeanors, but if they simply keep repeating their innocence, people within the distortion field will believe them.
Sorry guys, but life doesn't work that way. You are not entitled to your own version of reality.
2
Are people who sell senate seats political prisoners if caught? Gee, I don't think so.
How long before Blago is invited to join the Trump administration? Lots of job opportunities there. Maybe even cabinet level?
The Rodster is simply a criminal. And so his playing the victim should come as no surprise. I predict he will switch parties too, because he must show loyalty to the man who freed him.
'“Everybody ran away from him like he had the plague, but I stuck with him for eight years,” he said. “Now that he’s out, I hope he humbles himself.”"
Humbles himself? I hardly think so, given his remarks since being pardoned.
And what's with this "political prisoner" garbage? Seriously, has the whole country gone mad just because Trump seems to think that white collar crime is not a "real" crime?
We're really at a low low place where suddenly political corruption is A-Ok. Blagojevich tried to sell a senate seat. Bribery. Corruption. A cynical misuse of his political position.
He was convicted. And sentenced. And now he's claiming that he was set up, didn't do anything, and was a political prisoner?
Give me a break. Something is rotten in the state of the United States.
2
Looks like he could be a prime candidate as a Trump valued aide
1
I looked up the word "corruption" in the dictionary. Funny, it didn't mention the words "political prisoner".
1
It's clearer why Trump wanted to built a wall to keep imaginary, nonexistent criminals out.
He didn't want any competition, for himself and his other thugs.
1
geez, you can't even try to sell the president elect's senate seat without getting into trouble.
be forewarned on what a trump second term will look like.
2
I suspect Trump thinks that selling this Senate seat was OK because it was held by Obama. He’ll do anything to admonish the former President, including commuting Blago’s sentence.
If the State of Illinois gives all their Electoral votes to Trump, they are complicit in this atrocity.
100
@Sheela Todd What does the seat being Obama's have to do with anything? Obama didn't sell it. He just had to vacate it when he became president.
1
@David Weintraub
he does anything to admonish anything connected with the Obamas...anything, everything! He's a racist and he is vindictive, nothing too small or too petty.
9
@Sheela Todd "If the State of Illinois gives all their Electoral votes to Trump, they are complicit in this atrocity."
Besides painting in broad brushstrokes, you do realize that Illinois has chosen the Democratic candidate in *every* presidential election since 1992?
4
A political prisoner? Was he thrown in jail for expressing his beliefs? If that is the case, considering his utterances, throw him back in jail. Guys like this are unbelievable.
82
@Tim Lynch: His utterances reveal modeling after his Great Leader. Perhaps he will be invited to join the Great Leader's cabinet. Grating minds think alike. But, be calm. Is it late for state charges?
4
“It’s been a long, long journey. I’m bruised, I’m battered and I’m bloody,”
...and still a felon.
152
@Craig
And a Democrat.
1
So why did Trump pardon a Democrat? Probably because he saw a kindred spirit! I would think the Republicans have room for his kind of ambitious con man.
60
@Think_different trump was a Democrat before he decided to run for President.
6
@Think_different He didn't pardon Blago. He commuted his sentence. Big difference.
2
People say that Blago was no threat to society once caught, since removed from office. Locking up someone who is a threat isn’t the only role of prison. The threat of imprisonment also acts as a deterrent. Nobody wants to go to prison and it makes bad people think twice.
31
@Bk2 Judging from what he has said thus far Blago still doesn't really understand why he spent the last 8 years in prison. Like Trump some never learn from their mistakes.
1
Yes, he certainly seems chastened— for a political prisoner, that is.
@Bk2 False.
It is amusing to me that Republicans are cheering the pardon of a corrupt Democratic governor from Illinois, everything they are supposed to stand against. Yet another demonstration of how they will twist their beliefs to justify any action by Trump. Conversely, most Democrats were happy to abandon the governor when his corruption became manifest and are sickened by his pardon. They are a party of principles before party.
123
@Ben
Absolutely, which is why Obama didn't pardon him, he's not worthy of a pardon. And I would hope that if a democrat did what Trump was impeached for or their continued assault of our established norms, that democrats would WANT them out. '
I would hope that we could do something republicans seem to inept to do, which is convict and remove from office. Its a standard that must be held high.
10
Republicans gave up principles after Ford left office. Gingrich, McConnel, et al are examples of a party that has lost its way.
9
After claiming he's now a "Trumpocrat" he's going to have to become a Republican, if he wants to keep working in politics.
The Democrats won't come within a mile of him now.
31
In many cases convicted felons can't run for certain public offices. That doesn't mean Trump won't find a spot for him in his administration. Blago is not well liked in IL yet Republicans elsewhere think he's the greatest, which shows how warped they are at this point.
Democrats haven’t wanted within a mile of him since 2008.
1
The ultimate plutocrat, Donald Trump, is now in the process of pardoning at least 10 former convicted felons(and his friends) most of whom are still in prison. all done because republicans who failed to enact during his impeachment proceedings has emboldened him more than ever before.
Perhaps now, America, any wonder why so many other Americans are worried about another plutocrat(Michael Bloomberg), who never has served higher than being a city mayor, could become President?
11
@Deus EXCEPT that Bloomberg earned his money and has a very strong history of utilizing his wealth to HELP CAUSES you believe in! Discern--there's a massive difference and you know it. Bernie will hand the presidency to Trump--something you also know.
@Deus Mayor of a city that is more diverse and complex than many states is no small potatoes. I'm not the biggest Bloomberg fan, but you cannot deny he has the proper executive skills to get the job done. The question is, what kind of job? Given that he is not backward with regard to social and environmental issues, even if he continued Trump's extraordinarily destructive financial policies (which he wouldn't) we'd still be 1,000 times better off than we are now.
1
@Deus Your second paragraph is a stretch.
Time for states and local communities to prosecute these criminals for any state/local laws they break before the feds can even get involved. No presidential pardons then.
32
@rivvir
There is actually a legal doctrine that allows that to happen. It called the "Dual Sovereignty Doctrine". The "dual sovereignty" doctrine allows a federal prosecution of an offence to proceed regardless of a previous state prosecution for that same offence and vice versa because "an act denounced as a crime by both national and state sovereignties is an offence against the peace and dignity of both and may be punished.
In the 2018-2019 Supreme Court Session, the court upheld the dual-sovereignty doctrine in Gamble v. United States
2
Governors can though.
@Sam Adams - Yes, they can But unless they all are as nuts or criminal as the guy who sits in my oval office these days the damage will be that much limited.
@ James - Thanks. I looked quickly to see who might have dibs in case both fed and local laws were broken and they each wanted to prosecute but couldn't find anything on there being a pecking order so presumed in order to save money states simply let the feds prosecute for the fed crimes committed.
1
I think Trump pardons these criminals because he sees himself in these criminals and feels sympathy for them because he is their kind. I shudder to think how many criminals Trump will pardon in the last days of his Presidency should he lose the election. It will be a record.
36
I shudder to think how many he'll pardon the day after he's reelected
3
@Eraven
Nope...he is just pardoning these folks now so that when he pardons Manafort, Flynn, Stone and the rest it will be “old news” and “just something he does” so them public won’t pay attention.
He is desensitizing all of us...
One thing DJT is ...consistent and he calls out in advance his plans!
2
When the swamp gets drained the effluent has to go somewhere. In this case, it’s a small area on the north side of Chicago.
12
@Bruce Egert
I thought you were going to say, they go to a small spot in North Korea.
I think a constitutional amendment should be created to eliminate the presidents power to pardon. Many presidents have abused this power including Clinton. At has become clear guilty presidents can even use this power to help them evade justice.
In this case I am not sure of the reason Rod was pardoned. Trump may have wanted to call attention to the corruption of the democrats by creating a scene. Or Trump may simply be showing us his complete scorn for democratic justice.
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@Sam Adams - I disagree. The other eight people, not mentioned here, pardoned Monday where each sad and compelling stories in their own right. Look past the political bluster of these four big names.
2
He is 100% correct the federal and local governments have unlimited resources and are able to lock up a lamppost, it's really scary there is no compassion on our corrupt
System.
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@MUTI Blago was corrupt. He tried to sell something that wasn’t his. He had a great defense team, but a jury found him guilty.
29
Oh please. Blago got a hung jury, was offered a deal to plead guilty to one count of lying to investigators, and instead chose to tell his story to a second jury. He was convicted unanimously on multiple charges and a judge threw the book at him. Really, the prosecutors tried to do Blago a favor.
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I lived in Indiana at the time, and Blagojevich was one of the most corrupt governors of Illinois in my lifetime. And if you know the history of Illinois, that’s saying something.
Blagojevich was caught red handed attempting to sell a seat in Congress among other corrupt acts.
Blagojevich is no lamppost, he’s a criminal tried and convicted by private citizens and should still be behind bars.
What trump is doing to our rule of law is a nation disgrace.
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These days in New York, criminals often don't get arrested at all or are released instantly (e.g. Bail Reform), and Blagojevich was struck with a 14-year sentence for a white-collar crime.
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@Eugene white collar crimes deserve longer sentences, especially the higher you go in power. We need to stop corruption at the top or it infects the entire system.
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@Eugene Blagojevich was convicted of a crime. Someone who goes free because of bail reform is innocent until proven guilty. And may I remind you that while Blagojevich was awaiting trial, he didn't have to sit in jail either.
Because he was rich and well-connected, he got to await his trial in style, walking the talk show circuit as a free man, spreading stories about how wronged he was, even meeting Trump and competing on the Apprentice. He probably owes his freedom now to that.
Meanwhile, bail reform happened because there were people who died in Riker's awaiting a hearing, having never been convicted of anything. If the police and prosecutors need the ability to hold the poor without trial in order to reduce crime, then they need to get better at their jobs. It is insulting beyond insulting that you dare compare Blagojevich to them.
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@Eugene why is Blagojevich still alive?
1
I'm supposed to feel sorry for a governor who tried to shake down a children's hospital? I don't think so. He's beneath contempt.
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I still cannot fully understand why Trump picked Blago. He does not even know him. I think he was merely looking for reaction from all of us Trump haters by showing his massive power!
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@John I thought he was on the Apprentice.
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@John He does know Blagojevich. Blagojevich was even on his show, and I'm sure there was a nice campaign contribution somewhere along the way.
They were on Celebrity Apprentice together. Trump claims not to know him, but that’s just lie number 17,000 at this point.
3
Celebrity Apprentice ,Trump’s TV show, is alive and well.The location is now in the Oval Office rather than in Trump Tower.Trump hires and fires and for dramatic effect gives pardons to colorful or rich people,who have been sent to prison for breaking the law.Trump gets money in return from the wealthy and their chums and from the rest, like Blago, he gets lots of publicity from Fox News.Trump’s motto is “crime pays”- he proves it every day!
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Trump's message is that he CAN be bought. It's another sad day in America.
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Blagojevich’s behavior back in 2009 was outrageous but now almost seems quaint.
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@Mark Fisher No, it's still outrageous. "A freed political prisoner?"
2
Every day I get more and more upset about where he's taking our country... but then I see Bernie ahead in the polls and things start to feel as though they are correcting themselves and for the better. We'll get through this.
10
Bernie guarantees Trump a 2nd term
2
Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that the Republicans were touting Donald J Trump as a corruption fighter, a man who would be chastened and humbled by the very experience of impeachment? The president is as likely to feel humility as his frontal lobes are to construct a sentence without the words “I” or “me” and the only corruption he’s ever been interested in is the kind that presents him with a money making opportunity. He’s making a mockery of the presidency while the GOP remains disinterested.
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@walt amses: well, apparently bribery, tax evasion and securities fraud do not fit Trump's definition of corruption. Accusing him or his misfit friends of misdeeds? Now, that's corruption!
2
He was caught, on tape, offering political favors for bribes. That is despicable, and he belongs back in jail. I and understand that Trump and his supporters feel that offering favors for bribes is ok, and something that is perfectly reasonable. But that doesn't mean that decent people should feel that way.He was caught, on tape, offering political favors for bribes. That is despicable, and he belongs back in jail. I and understand that Trump and his supporters feel that offering favors for bribes is ok, and something that is perfectly reasonable. But that doesn't mean that decent people should feel that way.
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It’s like Trump is Lex Luther. He is doing everything he can to desecrate our form of government. He’s Putin’s man and it’s time Trump was stopped.
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The reason Trump released is both obvious and nefarious. By releasing him, Trump now can say that his mercy extends across party lines (obviously not true). Trump knows Blagojevich will go on the news circuit, essentially deflecting attention away from Trump, but there is a deeper purpose to this. For the average Trump voter, they will be reminded of the corrupt "Democrat" former governor with every one of his appearances, only emboldening their inner partisan demeanor. They will see on Fox News "Democrat Governor" > "Corruption", and tie him into the plainly false narrative of Democrat systemic corruption weaving in the Trump voter's head. He is fodder for their conspiratorial story, which keeps Trump voters voting against their own interest. Trump knows this, or at least the minders that direct our President do.
21
@Alex You may be right that Trump thinks this will play up corruption by a Democrat. But the problem, for the GOP, is that Blagojevich being in the news will only highlight how he is a pariah to the entire Democratic party. And he became a pariah the minute he was arrested way back in December 2008. This contrasts mightily with how the GOP sticks with Trump no matter what he does. There couldn't be a better figure than Blagojevich to highlight the contrast.
2
@Alex - Exactly! For the GOP (and Trump and Faux news) it's all about controlling the narrative. They have nothing else to bamboozle their base with, except maybe "the stock market is at all time high" (which is mainly only great for the upper income levels) as well as the usual god (anti-choice, anti-women), gays (heavens!) and guns (they are comin' fer yer guns) and anti-immigrant shtick.
It's arguable that Blago received a heavier sentence than deserved, but no one with at least Rod's own level of wit believes that he did nothing wrong.
Unfortunately, the former governor now fancies himself as a folk hero, grievously wronged. The theme here, as in all things Trump, is grievance. That train has carried the trump cult far and looking down the tracks, there are no red lights ahead.
Windows on the bus are being enlarged to accommodate Mr. Barr's exit.
Rod Blagojevich, next Attorney General. Full speed ahead.
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@JS There may be a "Medal of Freedom" in Rod's near future.
6
One of the few commentators I'm sure who is in full agreement with President Trump. Having a productive individual who poses no threat to society rot in prison for 12 years is what many are trying to change.
I consider Mr. Blagojevik more or less a scoundrel not unlike many others in politics and apparently especially not unlike most Chicago politicians. But he's not a sinister scoundrel, in my opinion, just a back-door deal maker playing by the rules he inherited. I doubt many politicians, actually many of us, are in a any real position to judge as much as we apparently think we are. And he served 8 years already.
He'll accomplish more on the outside than the inside.
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@Stephen Offord
A politician who was convicted of attempting to corrupt the process by which a US Senator was appointed is a threat to our democracy.
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@Stephen Offord
What about all of the men and women of color serving ridiculous sentences and are no threat to society? Are you OK with having them rot in prison or don't you think they would be "productive" enough on the outside?
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“He’ll accomplish more on the outside than the inside “
That’s exactly what we should all be worried about.
26
All the president’s men ...
... Have done or are doing time. And it seems not to humble them.
10
Blogo's corrupt, like everyone Trump pardoned. The Trump bonus was the connection to Obama and attempting to peddle Obama's senate seat. This is all Trump's way of saying that rich, connected people ARE above the law and can do whatever they want without fear of prosecution. The autocrat is becoming a dictator as no one in his party has the guts or ethics to stop him. And by the way, do any of those people pardoned or whose sentences were commuted represent Trump's little, forgotten guy base? Clearly they do not.
17
Blagojevich’s self-indulgent grandstanding is a slap in the face to all the political prisoners and others unjustly incarcerated worldwide.
76
Political prisoner?
Not at all.
He was tried and sentenced to prison for the basest of crimes a politician can commit under color of office: trying to sell a Senate seat to the highest bidder.
He's a felonious politician, and was no more a political prisoner than Nixon would have been had Ford not pardoned him.
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Blagojevich and Trump have both learned that they can dodge accountability for their abuse of power.
10
In my opinion (and that of many others it would seem) the only miscarriage of justice involves Trump's commutation of Blago's sentence. That sentence was wholly justified, based on a blatantly corrupt effort to sell a US Senate seat to the highest bidder for personal/political gain.
The fact that Trump doesn't see that as a crime (because he has been more than willing to do it himself), does not factor into it and Blago crying crocodile tears about how unfairly he was treated is worthy of Moliere, at his satiric best.
Disappear Blago, into whichever dark hole you crawled out of.
28
Wow, Blago is claiming he was a political prisoner, even though he was expelled from office by his own political party and convicted by a court of law; his hubris is no less shameful than our current president tweeting on-and-on that his friend Roger Stone is getting a raw deal by a corrupt DOJ and deserves a new trial. We can be thankful that Blago's sentence was commuted and his conviction still stands so a second stint in political office for him is out of the question. We are viewing a world that is upside down indeed.
21
Can anyone tell me why we should bother giving this guy the time of day?
He was convicted, and he's unrepentant. He should no longer be a public figure - now or in the future.
341
Next stop, his own show on Fox News.
14
@Ryan where is ur compassion ,I bet u 100% if the fed with their unlimited resources would be pursuing u they would b able to pick u up for 2p years if they want they will always entrap u and lock u up for lying if they dodnt get u in something else. It's a corrupt system
@MUTI No, they won't. Because unlike Blagojevich, I didn't commit a crime.
11
I haven't lived here for long but the way the local WGN and talk radio hosts treat the "Blago" couple as rock stars is disappointing.
I guess here in Chicago being a smooth talking criminal is a redeeming quality.
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@Liz
Do yourself a favor and listen to the local NPR and PBS stations. You won't hear him praised, just the facts.
10
@Liz Welcome to the city where politics - good and bad - is a spectator sport. The media circus surrounding Blago does not mean that viewers and listeners approve of him!
7
Yep. see: SDaley Family
2
Ah, what a touching photo. His family must be so proud.
14
@Ken
I'm sure they are very proud. His wife is daughter of one of the city's most powerful aldermen. In Illinois, people who do what Blago did are considered tycoons.
Job Application: IKEA, entry level
Last job: Selling chairs.
110
Is there time for him to run in the 2020 elections? I'm calling it now, runs as a Republican... and gets in
14
It is unbelievable that Trump and his crew of convicted felons gaslight Americans.
Blagovich was convicted of crimes that he committed. And there was substantial evidence for the conviction and yet he emerges to a spotlight and calls himself a victim. Why? Because the president says so.
87
Isn't there a part in most of the comic book movies where the mob boss takes over and releases all his buddies from prison? Then they have a party. Think Ive seen this before.
42
Wow. The guy convicted on a bipartisan basis and pardoned by narcissistic criminal currently occupying the White House is remorseless. Quelle surprise. He'll probably be hired by Trump next. Drain the swamp indeed.
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There’s no draining the swamp, trump has allowed septic pumping trucks to back up to the Whitehouse and discharge the contents.
3
He wasn’t pardoned, he had his sentence commuted. He’s still a convicted felon who should still be in jail.
3
@Dr. M
A job? How 'bout in the Justice Department.
1
Sorry, he’s still a crook...
22
If Donald didn't pardon all his friends, he wouldn't have any friends.
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@Occupy Government
He still doesn't. That's what happens when your life is based on transactions.
15
@Occupy Government
He still doesn't have any friends...just people who owe him.
8
With any luck, Blagojevich will violate state criminal statutes soon.
14
@Cfiverson Luck? it's S.O.P. for him and his ilk....
2
"Freed political prisoner"—from this career criminal Blagojevich.
This kind of rhetoric is caused by Trump.
25
Sounds like Blago will be appointed US Attorney General in about a week.
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@Marshall Blago's law license is currently suspended, and there's a movement to disbar him permanently. Of course, that might not stop Trump from nominating him for AG!
19
Exactly. He is an expert on the justice system!!!!
3
@Windy Lass
Trump will write his own law so Rod can get in the Cabinet. And security clearance? No problem!
3
Next job: Trump cabinet member. They are two peas in a pod.
21
Here, an unrepentant, corrupt, criminal liar sings the praises of another unrepentant, corrupt, criminal liar.
175
A freed corrupt criminal is what he is, just like his buddy that "freed him," such a perfect GOP member, filled with lies!
9
It’s amazing how many convicted criminals say how they were unfairly convicted. So Blagojevich is now claiming he was a political prisoner? Is he denying that it was his voice on the tape that basically saying that Obama’s Senate seat is up for sale or how he was shaking down his other victims for cash? The real question is why is Trump doing this. Is he building a team of crooks to take on the establishment something like Lex Luther? Unfortunately we don’t have Superman on the side of law and order in this case.
I hope after Trump is gone Congress takes a good hard look at the president’s pardoning powers and if a Constitutional amendment is required to curtail this, one gets started. That is of course once it’s a Democratic Congress because nothing will get done if the Senate remains Republican.
212
@VMG - Trump already has his hard core members in Trump world. His goal is to make sure there are fewer hard core members in Demoland. As much as it pains me, frankly scares me, I think Trump's tactics are working. Dems nominating Bernie couldn't work out any better for Trump - I would wager votes for a would be Bernie presidency will be several million less than Hillary (fewer minority votes) ... and that's a disastrous - Not only for a democratic presidency, but also down the ballot candidates. It's like this guy is literally a genius at political strategy. Diabolical and dirty, but always a step ahead of the opposition. We need a miracle folks.
7
@VMG Totally agree. I live a few miles from his house. Now I have to listen to this blowhard and the one in the White House. He quotes MLK. What an insult to MLK. At least he's reunited with his Lady Macbeth. Can't imagine his job prospects . He isn't much liked in this state as he did nothing for us.
10
A first class career criminal.
Trump’s kind of guy!
Unrepentant, guilty as sin, ready to lie, deny, smear and steal some more
462
@BS Spotters
And a Democrat.
Go on Fox, get a pardon from Trump. Can Kushner get one?
30
He was caught red handed and convicted appropriately, so forgive me if I don’t feel bad for him not having a proper razor in prison.
251
There's a word for what Blago is doing: Chutzpah
44
@Bob R I can think of several more apt words. Lying is one
3