U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor whose sentence for corruption was commuted five years ago during Trump’s first term in office. Blagojevich, a Democrat, was removed from office in 2009 and later convicted for attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president in 2008.
Trump described Blagojevich’s conviction as a “terrible injustice” and claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. “They just went after him, they go after a lot of people. These are bad people on the other side,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding, “I think he’s a very fine person, and this shouldn’t have happened.”
When asked about reports suggesting that Blagojevich might be considered for the role of U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Trump responded, “No, but I would. He’s now cleaner than anybody in this room.”
In 2020, Trump had been unclear about his reasoning for freeing Blagojevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Trump explained that he had once worked with Blagojevich on the reality TV show “The Apprentice” and described him as “a very nice person,” though he also noted, “I don’t know him very well.” Trump acknowledged that Blagojevich had served eight years in prison and suggested that many disagreed with his lengthy sentence.
Since returning to the White House on January 20, Trump has used his presidential pardon powers several times, including issuing pardons to individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, anti-abortion protesters, and Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road online marketplace, which was linked to drug sales.
