Former United States President Donald Trump on Monday granted a full pardon to Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, who was previously convicted of corruption. The decision follows Donald Trump’s earlier move during his first term to commute Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence, which stemmed from charges of attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he assumed the presidency in 2008.
Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, was impeached and removed from office in 2009 before being convicted on multiple corruption charges. His efforts to leverage his power for personal gain, particularly regarding the appointment of Barack Obama’s Senate successor, led to his sentencing. However, Donald Trump decried the prosecution as unjust, suggesting that Rod Blagojevich was unfairly targeted.
“It was sort of a terrible injustice. They just went after him, they go after a lot of people. These are bad people on the other side,” Donald Trump told reporters at the Oval Office while signing the pardon.
The former president also praised Rod Blagojevich, stating, “I think he’s a very fine person, and this shouldn’t have happened.” When questioned about reports suggesting Rod Blagojevich was under consideration for a role as the U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Donald Trump responded, “No, but I would. He’s now cleaner than anybody in this room.”
Rod Blagojevich’s release in 2020 raised questions regarding Donald Trump’s motivations, as the former president provided little explanation at the time. Donald Trump acknowledged that Rod Blagojevich had appeared on his reality TV show, The Apprentice, and remarked that he “seemed like a very nice person,” but admitted, “I don’t know him very well.” He defended the commutation by highlighting the length of the sentence, saying, “He served eight years in jail. He has a long time to go. Many people disagree with the sentence.”
Donald Trump has been exercising his presidential pardon powers extensively since returning to the White House on January 20. On the night of his inauguration, he pardoned approximately 1,500 individuals linked to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, an attack carried out by his supporters attempting to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden.
Additionally, Donald Trump has granted clemency to over two dozen anti-abortion activists and Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road online marketplace, which facilitated millions of dollars in illegal drug transactions. His frequent use of presidential pardons has reignited discussions over executive power and its implications on the justice system.
