Rod Blagojevich was a Democrat when he was Governor of Illinois, but now he’s changed his affiliation to a party led by one man, Donald Trump. After receiving a get out of jail free card from the president on Tuesday he declared:
“He’s [Trump] got a obviously a big fan in me. If you’re asking what my party affiliation is, I’m a Trumpocrat.”
Trump, after all, did give Blagojevich a priceless gift. He pardoned the one-time Celebrity Apprentice contestant after watching his wife on Fox News saying, “He’ll be able to go home to his family after serving eight years in jail, that was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion.”
Prosecutors who help convict Blagojevich beg to differ in this statement they issued (via CBS) following his commutation:
“Extortion by a public official is a very serious crime, routinely prosecuted throughout the United States whenever, as here, it can be detected and proven. That has to be the case in America: a justice system must hold public officials accountable for corruption. It would be unfair to their victims and the public to do otherwise. While the president has the power to reduce Mr. Blagojevich’s sentence, the fact remains that the former governor was convicted of very serious crimes. His prosecution serves as proof that elected officials who betray those they are elected to serve will be held to account.”
But even after eight years behind bars, Blagojevich doesn’t seem all that remorseful saying, “I’ve made a whole bunch of mistakes, but I didn’t break any laws.” Watch what else he said above.
Also, a side note, for other criminals who want to get Trump’s attention, here’s a tip, go on Fox News A LOT. The Daily Beast writes:
According to liberal media-watchdog Media Matters for America, Patti Blagojevich took to Fox programming in April 2018 to push for her husband’s sentence to be reduced, making at least seven appearances on some of Trump’s favorite primetime shows such as Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle.
The hosts, meanwhile, didn’t even bother with subtlety during the interviews. For instance, Tucker Carlson asked Mrs. Blagojevich what she would say “if you could speak to the president.”