Trump Grants Full Pardon to Rod Blagojevich, Citing “Set Up”
President Donald Trump issued a full pardon Monday to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, completing a process he began during his first term by commuting the ex-governor’s 14-year prison sentence, The Associated Press reports.
Blagojevich, a Democrat convicted on corruption charges who also appeared on Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” received the pardon despite serving time for attempting to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat and shake down a children’s hospital.
“I’ve watched him. He was set up by a lot of bad people, some of the same people I had to deal with,” Trump told reporters at the White House, echoing his previous claims that the investigation was politically motivated.
Trump also described Blagojevich as “a very fine person.”
Blagojevich, speaking outside his Chicago home, expressed his gratitude for the pardon.
“I’m very thankful,” he said.
The pardon comes amid a wave of clemency actions from Trump, including pardons and commutations for over 1,500 individuals connected to the January 6 Capitol riot.
Trump has repeatedly drawn parallels between the Blagojevich case and investigations into his own conduct, particularly the Russia investigation. He highlighted the involvement of figures like Patrick Fitzgerald, the former US Attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and later represented former FBI Director James Comey, and Robert Mueller, who headed the Russia investigation and was FBI director during the Blagojevich probe.
While Trump expressed sympathy for Blagojevich dating back to his appearance on “Celebrity Apprentice,” he also made the confusing claim Monday that he “didn’t know him,” only to acknowledge Blagojevich was on his reality show “for a little while.” When asked about the possibility of appointing Blagojevich as ambassador to Serbia, Trump responded:
“No, but I would. He’s now cleaner than anybody in this room.”
The move follows years of public appeals from Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, who frequently appeared on Fox News Channel, a network Trump is known to watch regularly. She drew comparisons between her husband’s legal battles and Trump’s, offering frequent praise of the former President.
Trump’s initial commutation of Blagojevich’s sentence in 2020 drew condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans in Illinois. Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker said at the time that Trump had “abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways.”
While a pardon typically restores civil rights such as voting, serving on a jury, and holding public office, its effect on Blagojevich is limited. According to the Justice Department, the pardon will not reinstate his revoked law license. Moreover, Blagojevich remains barred from holding state office due to his 2009 impeachment by the Illinois State Senate. Although a lower court dismissed Blagojevich’s attempt to overturn this ban, the Illinois Board of Elections is unsure of whether this pardon will permit him to seek federal office.
Blagojevich was originally convicted on 18 counts. The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals threw out five of these counts in 2015, including those related to an alleged offer to appoint someone to a high-paying Senate seat.
