Author Topic: Trump expected to commute sentencing of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich  (Read 2590 times)

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Offline mystery-ak

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Trump expected to commute sentencing of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
By
John Santucci
and
Katherine Faulders
February 18, 2020, 11:39 AM
2 min read

 President Donald Trump is expected to commute the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, multiple senior level sources tell ABC News.

Among the causes that lead to Blagojevich's original conviction was the charge that he sought to exchange an appointment to former President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for campaign money.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, has been a resident of the Federal Correctional Institution, in Englewood -- near Littleton, Colorado -- since March 15, 2012, where he is known as Inmate No. 40892-424.

His date for expected release remains 2024, factoring in two years of credit for good behavior.

more
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-expected-commute-sentencing-illinois-gov-rod-blagojevich/story?id=69049748
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Offline mystery-ak

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Trump to Pardon Kerik, Commute Blagojevich's Sentence
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/kerik-blagojevich/2020/02/18/id/954594/
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Online corbe

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Trump commutes prison sentence of Rod Blagojevich

by Tim Pearce &  Mike Brest

February 18, 2020 01:53 PM


President Trump commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the president announced on Tuesday.

"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.

Blagojevich has served roughly eight years in prison after being convicted on corruption charges.

For months, Trump has suggested he might commute the former Democratic governor’s prison sentence. He said in August that he was "strongly" considering the move and that Blagojevich’s case was being reviewed.

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-commutes-prison-sentence-of-rod-blagojevich
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Offline thackney

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I do not understand why he is doing this.  Is it because he got to know him on "The Apprentice"?

Jury Convicts Blagojevich of Attempting to Sell Obama's Senate Seat
https://www.haaretz.com/1.5153838

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been convicted of 17 of the 20 charges against him, many related to his attempt to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

Jurors deadlocked on one charge of attempted extortion in an alleged shakedown involving funding for a school in the district of then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel....
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Offline Applewood

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Bad move.

Offline mystery-ak

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Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Bad move.

This cuts four years of Blogo's 14 year sentence.  This is fair. 

But remember ... never, ever, ever piss off Barack Obama.   :nono:

Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Bad move.

Big whoop. Trump sneezing is a bad move in your opinion.   :shrug:

Offline mystery-ak

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I don't have a problem with it...and I am in Il

Blago did nothing that every other politician in Il and across the country has done..quid pro quo....he just got caught and angered O'Bama by doing so...so O'Bama sic'ed prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald on him.

I am glad he got a commute instead of a pardon because he did commit a crime...

IL is corrupt from Chicago on down...they would have to lock up about 90% of the politicians here....and that wouldn't be a bad thing..lol
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Online corbe

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Big whoop. Trump sneezing is a bad move in your opinion.   :shrug:

   OTOH, if Trump commuted the sentences of Willian Jefferson and Ray Nagen to shore up the vote in LA., I'd bet you'd be OK with that @Right_in_Virginia cause Trump can't do anything wrong, in your book.
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Offline Applewood

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Big whoop. Trump sneezing is a bad move in your opinion.   :shrug:

Would have been nice if you had asked me why I felt this way instead of getting all accusatory.

But because I have a small amount of class, I'll tell you my reasons.  it looks like Trump is using his power to pardon or commute for his friends, acquaintances and associates and for political gain, not because there is some merit for pardoning or commuting. 

It might be different if Bogo was terminally ill.  Yeah, maybe I'd be ok with this on compassionate grounds.  But the bottom line is that there is no evidence that Bogo was wrongfully convicted and no other valid reason to let Bogo out.   I don't care what reasons Trump gives, it still looks like he's doing this because he knows the guy. 

Giving out pardons and commutations willy-nilly undermines our whole judicial system.  The prosecutors worked hard building these cases.  Jurors spent time away from family and maybe even their jobs to hear and see the evidence, review testimony and come up with a verdict.  But with a stroke of a pen, a president turns all of that work into *bleep*. 

Bad optics.  Bad form.  All the way around.

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Trump's very swampy commutation of Rod Blagojevich

by Tom Rogan

February 18, 2020 02:55 PM

 
By commuting Rod Blagojevich, President Trump has boosted one of the mosquitolike corrupt officials who suck the blood out of democracy.

After all, this is not someone who deserves presidential leniency.

In December 2011, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after being convicted of various corruption-related crimes he committed as Illinois Governor. Most notable among these was his effort to sell the vacant Senate seat of newly elected President Barack Obama. Blagojevich was recorded on a wiretap referring to that seat, "I've got this thing, and it's fu---ing golden. I'm just not giving it up for f---ing nothing." The Democrat was also convicted of multiple attempted extortion attempts, including against a children's hospital executive.

This betrayal of trust and rampant penchant for corruption speak to the absurdity of Trump's commutation on Tuesday.

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trumps-very-swampy-pardon-of-rod-blagojevich
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Offline mystery-ak

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I'm sorry...if you're gonna send one to prison send all of the corrupt politicians to prison too...

Il just elected fat ass Pritzker who is/was under investigation by the Feds for corruption and fraud..at the time of the election...I guess I am just too cynical... :shrug:


Pritzker under federal investigation for property tax scheme
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pritzker-under-federal-investigation-for-property-tax-scheme/



LMAO

Pritzker Says Blagojevich Commutation ‘Sends the Wrong Message at the Wrong Time’
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/pritzker-says-blagojevich-commutation-sends-the-wrong-message-at-the-wrong-time/2221381/    :silly: :silly: :silly:
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Offline aligncare

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I don't have a problem with it...and I am in Il

Blago did nothing that every other politician in Il and across the country has done..quid pro quo....he just got caught and angered O'Bama by doing so...so O'Bama sic'ed prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald on him.

I am glad he got a commute instead of a pardon because he did commit a crime...

IL is corrupt from Chicago on down...they would have to lock up about 90% of the politicians here....and that wouldn't be a bad thing..lol

And behind Fitzgerald was the guy who hired him, Comey.

Online corbe

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   I guess it's just a coinkidink that Blagojevich was Gov when Trump was putting up Trump Tower in Chicago.   



     Is my TDS showing again?
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Offline mystery-ak

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  Is my TDS showing again?

LOL...could be.....btw who was the Gov in NY, DC, NJ and FL when Trump built all is hotels and resorts...just asking...wonder if there was any quid pro quo going on 888mouth
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Offline Applewood

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And by the way, guys, Trump has, at the same time, also pardoned former 49ers owner, Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nfl-greats-thank-trump-for-pardon-of-hall-of-fame-owner-eddie-debartolo-jr

This is funny to me because I live not far from the DeBartolo family hometown of Youngstown, Ohio and the DeBartolos were rumored to be the local crime family there. 

So did Trump wake up one morning with a horse's head in his bed? 

Yes, I'm kidding.

Offline mystery-ak

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This is funny to me because I live not far from the DeBartolo family hometown of Youngstown, Ohio and the DeBartolos were rumored to be the local crime family there. 

So did Trump wake up one morning with a horse's head in his bed? 

Yes, I'm kidding.

Hmmmm... :hattip:
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Offline mystery-ak

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Offline mystery-ak

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Illinois GOP House delegation blasts Blagojevich commutation: 'The face of public corruption'
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/483508-illinois-gop-house-delegation-blasts-blagojevich-commutation-the-face-of


...and they would know.... :silly: :2popcorn:
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Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Would have been nice if you had asked me why I felt this way instead of getting all accusatory.  ...it looks like Trump is using his power to pardon or commute

Fair enough @Applewood   Thanks for the explanation. I think your concerns are a bit over the top.  I don't think Blago's a friend.  I think the President genuinely considers 14 years in prison for a political crime over the top and there have been petitions for commutation, even pardon, for years.

And then there's this ... from an article written on May 1, 2018 and published in the Washington Examiner.   Here's the link to the full article:  "How Robert Mueller and James Comey's best friend sent Rod Blagojevich to prison  "  --  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-robert-mueller-and-james-comeys-best-friend-sent-rod-blagojevich-to-prison

FTA

Quote

[...]

In 2008, then-FBI Director Mueller authorized a totally unnecessary and ruthless predawn raid on then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois. Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested in front of his two terrified young daughters. He supposedly conspired pay-to-play schemes to fill then-President Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. The arrest and subsequent trial made national headlines. The fame-hungry federal prosecutor in the case? None other than Comey’s best friend, Fitzgerald.

[...]

Former Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia, once a rising star in the Republican Party, was found guilty of accepting more than $130,000 in gifts from a donor-friend who needed the governor’s office and influence to help to save his struggling company. The gifts made national headlines, with pictures of McDonnell driving around in a Ferrari, a $20,000 shopping spree in New York, and a $6,000 Rolex. In the end, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction.

Time spent in prison? Zero days.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., accepted donations and gifts from his wealthy friend Salomon Melgen in exchange for political influence. Melgen provided Menendez with trips on private jets, hotel rooms, and contributed nearly $75,000 to his political campaign. In the end, his trial concluded with a hung jury, and the Justice Department then filed to dismiss all remaining charges. And last Thursday, the Senate Ethics Committee “severely admonished” the senator for accepting gifts over a six-year period.

Time spent in prison? Zero days.

Unlike the cases of McDonnell and Menendez, Blagojevich never accepted lavish gifts, flew on private jets, took luxurious vacations, drove around in a Ferrari, or wore Rolexes in exchange for his political influence. And yet he is serving 14 years in prison as a first-time offender.

Blagojevich is the victim of overzealous prosecutors and law enforcement officials who are more obsessed with their own personal fame than they are with the facts. These predawn raids on government officials and friends of government officials must end. This type of behavior is consistent with what we’d see thugs do, and it’s both aggressive and unnecessary.

While Blagojevich sits in prison for 14 years, as his family suffers at home because of his absence, people like Clinton, Menendez, and McDonnell are out enjoying the good life. The Clinton Foundation was clearly engaged in pay-to-play politics while she was secretary of state, yet nothing has happened with regards to an investigation or even an inquiry into their fundraising activities. A total disgrace.

Mueller, Comey, and Fitzgerald must be denied their swamp water. And Trump should make a big splash by sending Blagojevich back home.

More:  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-robert-mueller-and-james-comeys-best-friend-sent-rod-blagojevich-to-prison



« Last Edit: February 18, 2020, 09:24:53 pm by Right_in_Virginia »

Online mountaineer

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Cynthia McKinney PhD   @cynthiamckinney

Rod Blagojevich should never have been in prison in the first place. Believe me, I KNOW why he's there and it's not what the public has been told.
.
@cynthiamckinney

Good for @POTUS @realDonaldTrump for commuting the unfair sentence of Rod Blagojevich.
This was tweeted by the former congresswoman and 2008 presidential nominee for the Green Party.
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Offline Right_in_Virginia

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   OTOH, if Trump commuted the sentences of Willian Jefferson and Ray Nagen to shore up the vote in LA., I'd bet you'd be OK with that @Right_in_Virginia cause Trump can't do anything wrong, in your book.

Pull up @corbe

Offline Applewood

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@Right_in_Virginia

Quote
... Thanks for the explanation. I think your concerns are a bit over the top.  I don't think Blago's a friend.  I think the President genuinely considers 14 years in prison for a political crime over the top and there have been petitions for commutation, even pardon, for years.

Blago may not be a friend, but Trump was wrong to say he didn't know him, for he did know him from that Apprentice show. And the further remark that Blago seemed like a nice guy?  Well, yeah, a lot of criminals seem like nice guys.  Ted Bundy was described as a nice guy too.  Would that have been a good reason not to execute him?  Anyway, Trump's comments seem a bit off to me, and I don't see them as reasons to commute Blago's sentence. 

As for the Washington Examiner article you cited:  it reads like a typical pro-Trump conspiracy theory BS piece.  What do Trump's difficulties with Mueller, et al have to do with whether Blago was guilty or innocent and whether he deserved all that prison time?  And by the way, I thought Trump said Mueller's report and subsequent testimony exonerated him.  So why are Trump and his supporters still complaining about him now?

And the two cases cited by the author -- Menendez and McDonnell -- what do the outcomes of those cases have to do with the Blago case?  Different facts and different outcomes.  Just because those guys aren't in prison doesn't mean Blago should not have been convicted and should have not served his time. 

One last thing: the suffering of Blago's family while he sits in prison.  In my view, Blago should have thought about the consequences to his family should he be caught before he committed the crimes he was convicted of. 

Sorry, but I still see nothing good and right about letting Blago before his sentence is up, but I do see a lot  of wrong.  Just my opinion, for what little it's worth.

Offline Applewood

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Cynthia McKinney PhD   @cynthiamckinney

Rod Blagojevich should never have been in prison in the first place. Believe me, I KNOW why he's there and it's not what the public has been told.
.
@cynthiamckinney

Good for @POTUS @realDonaldTrump for commuting the unfair sentence of Rod Blagojevich.

@mountaineer

So is Dr. McKinney going to share what she says she knows?