Posted on 02/18/2020 11:22:16 AM PST by Enlightened1
President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Several Trump administration aides had claimed to ABC that the president is planning to grant the former governor clemency. Trump had previously hinted he was looking into commuting the 14-year sentence, which was originally handed down after Blagojevich was convicted of trying to sell the Senate seat of then-president elect Barack Obama in 2008, according to NBC Chicago.
“Yes, we commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich. he served eight years in jail, a long time. He seems like a very nice person, don’t know him,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
Unlike a full pardon, a clemency grant does not expunge Blagojevich’s conviction from the record. Instead, it will allow him to leave prison immediately rather than serve the rest of his sentence, of which he has already served seven years.
The news came hours after Trump granted a full pardon to former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo.
Blagojevich is one of four of the last 11 Illinois governors to be tried, convicted, and sentenced to jail.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
“2. It is a gesture of goodwill that will take the wind out of the democRATS sails about Trump being so partisan and without compassion.”
Thanks, it was that one over which I was hoping he would not expect the Rats be pleased.
"Bill and I are deeply saddened by the news of Governor Blagojevich's suicide."
How does it hurt the Democrats to condemn the pardon of a corrupt politician from their party? All they have to say is that he was corrupt, he got caught, he was sentenced, and now Trump has pardoned him because he was on his TV show, which is what they're already saying. The Democrats distanced themselves from Blago a decade ago. It costs them nothing to say that a corrupt politician from either party deserves harsh punishment but that Trump endorses corruption by overturning the sentence.
2. It is a gesture of goodwill that will take the wind out of the democRATS sails about Trump being so partisan and without compassion.
No Democrat has any sympathy for poor put-upon Rod Blagojevich. They see him as a corrupt clown who got what he deserved. It's not like he's a poor black kid doing a long stretch for a minor crime or something.
3. It will soften the political crowd up for the pardoning Flynn and Stone, who I think he will fee.
Why would Trump pardoning a corrupt Democrat make it less of a partisan issue when he pardons his political allies?
4. It is a backhanded slap at Mueller and Comey (via his buddy Gregory Craig) who put Blagojevich in prison.
Like they care.
5. Blago may have evidence that Obama was involved in the corruption because he was negotiating to get Valarie Jarrett into his old US Senate seat at the time Blago got caught.
Right, and Blago's just been sitting on this bombshell information for ten years.
I am glad. Blago got too much time. Now Trump will need to pardon Stone.
Why is the President pardoning/commuting corrupt Democrats? is he planning some high profile pardons for Stone, Flynn?
Check in two moves. Drat-kissing MSM minions must be getting pretty confused these days...
You nailed it. I live in Illinois and the only thing Blago did that the rest have not is get caught.
Plain and simple as that.
Nice record, reminds me of the NFL vs. NBA list of all the crimes
Illinois number one in something other than taxes!!!!
We’re #1!
Fattest ever US Governor.
Taft was (?) Gov of Cuba does that count? And a foot taller than the Il Big Boy.
So you disagree with them. Big deal.
I am very happy. Sentence was way too harsh.
The President did the right thing with Rod Blagojevich. He was a political prisioner.
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