This is the full-length announcement given to the news after President Trump commuted the sentence for Rod Blagojevich, and released him from prison. Before Obama had him convicted , he was the Governor of Illinois, and also a Democrat. There are much shorter versions of this speech, but after listening to the whole thing, I wanted to post this one , for anyone else who would like to hear what this man has to say, and to see just how grateful he is to President Trump for helping him. He has a sign on his house that says he is a “Trumpocrat”, so now we have a good name for these Walkaway people who are realizing that the Democratic Party that they have loved and believed in for all these years, is just not the same party ideals and goals as it once was.
I would be, too. Shave six years off my sentence and I'd be anything you wanted. And right now I'd appreciate some lunch.
Despite being a liberal Democrat, his sentence was awfully long when you consider that child molesters and murderers often do less time than that.
@Ken Anderson Given the unimaginable depth of the Illinois "financial-hole" today facing that state, and the fact that it took many administrations' mismanaged efforts to get it there, untoward sentences were likely welcomed. "Illinois is on the verge of becoming America's first state with a junk credit rating. The financial mess is the inevitable result of spending more on pensions and services than the state could afford -- then covering it up with reckless budget tricks." "The state currently has more than $250 billion in unfunded pension obligations, annual payments of which could be cut if a deal isn’t struck — a scenario that Moody’s warned would be a negative credit event for bondholders." See: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/illinois-financial-crisis-how-bad-is-it
I found it ironic that Illinois was jailing a politician for being a crook. I thought that was a prerequisite to entering politics in Illinois.
Blagojevich has no place in the Democratic party, even as a door-to-door campaign volunteer. It's good he switched.
Has he called himself Republican or just a "Trumpocrat?" Since felons can't vote it's a moot point anyway.
Maine and Vermont allow prisoners to vote, not just felons. But Blagojevich mentioned that he would not be able to vote, so I suppose Illinois does not allow felons to vote. However, according to this site, Illinois is among the states that restore voting rights once the person has completed his sentence. I don't know how a commutation might affect that.