NewsNational

Actions

Blagojevich thanks Trump for commuting sentence, declares himself a 'Trumpocrat'

Posted at 11:51 AM, Feb 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-19 12:51:36-05

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich thanked President Donald Trump for commuting his prison sentence Wednesday in a press conference from his home in Chicago.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, declared himself a "Trumpocrat," and said he would vote for Trump in November should he be allowed to.

Blagojevich also praised Trump for passing bipartisan criminal reform legislation and called for further changes to a "broken" and "racist" criminal justice system.

Constantly dabbing a shaving cut on his chin — adding that it's been a long time since he'd used a "real" razor — Blagojevich maintained his innocence for a 2009 conviction for lying to the FBI.

Blagojevich was impeached as Illinois governor in 2008 after allegations arose that he ran a "pay-to-play" scheme to replace the Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. He was indicted on federal charges in 2009, though he was only found guilty on a single count of lying to the FBI.

Blagojevich served eight years of a 14-year sentence.