After eight years behind bars, President Trump commuted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence. The day after Blagojevich arrived home from federal prison, the Illinois GOP wrote a letter of dissension criticizing him for showing zero remorse for his crimes.
“Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois, and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters,” the letter read. “As our state continues to grapple with political corruption, we shouldn’t let those who breached the public trust off the hook.”
Blagojevich then appeared on Fox News Wednesday night to respond, arguing he understood the sentiment of the GOP’s argument, but thought he was unfairly convicted and Illinois’ political corruption stems from state prosecutors, not himself.
“They’re pointing that statement at the wrong place. It shouldn’t be pointed at me, it oughta be pointed at those uncontrolled, unaccountable, lawless prosecutors who did this to me. I broke no laws, I crossed no lines,” Blagojevich said.
Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office for soliciting bribes for the political appointment of Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat after Obama was elected president in 2008. In 2011, Blagojevich was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Blagojevich compared his sentencing to the impeachment trial of Donald Trump and continuously blaming prosecutors for his conviction. When Fox News host Trace Gallagher asked the former convict if he he had even a “modicum of regret” regarding his scandal involving the extortion of a children’s hospital, Blagojevich said “no” and argued that the “proper law” was not applied to his case.
“[The prosecutors] moved the lines, frankly, with a corrupt intent. The real problem in this particular case and we see it, I’m living it, it’s deja vu all over again with regards with what [Democrats] have done to President Trump,” Blagojevich said. “They’re taking routine things and they’re trying to criminalize them.”
He concluded his interview by saying he needs to find a job in order to provide for his family.
