CHICAGO (CBS) — President Trump will issue a pardon to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Monday, a White House official confirmed to CBS News. The development was first reported by Axios.
Blagojevich, who was originally sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges for attempting to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat after he won the White House in 2008, only served nearly eight years before being commuted in February 2020 during Mr. Trump’s first presidency.
Upon his release from prison, he told CBS Chicago that he believed he “was sent to prison for practicing politics,” but also admitted to having made “mistakes.”
Months after his release, he filed a federal lawsuit claiming his removal from office by the Illinois Senate following his 2009 impeachment trial was unconstitutional and sought the ability to run for state or local elected office in Illinois.
In 2024, a judge issued a ruling in Blagojevich’s filed lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on him running for state or local office. The judge’s ruling utilized allusions to Dr. Seuss to underline their message.
“Read generally Dr. Seuss, Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! (1972) (‘The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just Go. Go. GO! I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now!’),” U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger wrote.
Blagojevich and Mr. Trump have worked together in the past. He appeared in Season 3 of the reality competition show “Celebrity Apprentice,” in which he was “fired” by Mr. Trump during the season’s run.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Todd Feurer and
contributed to this report.
