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Trump expected to commute sentencing of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
ABC News ^ | February 18, 2020 | John Santucci and Katherine Faulders

Posted on 02/18/2020 10:36:51 AM PST by Brown Deer

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: blagojevich; mueller; trump
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To: BobinIL

If he hasn’t used it so far, he never will. He’s never going to help Republicans.


61 posted on 02/18/2020 11:10:53 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nuconvert

Meanwhile, no Democrat jerks get 6 months in jail do they?


62 posted on 02/18/2020 11:10:59 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: Brown Deer; fieldmarshaldj; BillyBoy; mosesdapoet; TheRightGuy; chicagolady; PhilCollins; LS; ...

Maybe no one here agrees with this but I do. He had the book thrown at him because he embarrassed precious Obama, more serious corruption has gone unpunished, let him go home to his family.

Meanwhile, Trump looks compassionate and people are reminded that democrats are corrupt scum.


63 posted on 02/18/2020 11:13:10 AM PST by Impy (I have no virtue to signal.)
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To: 9422WMR

No way. All the cushy gigs on corporate boards and with consulting firms that are waiting for him if he does his time and keeps his mouth shut would disappear if he switched parties.

There is a reason Chicago democrats never rat, and that is because they are well compensated if they have to go to prison.


64 posted on 02/18/2020 11:16:57 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: Mr. K

I agree.


65 posted on 02/18/2020 11:17:29 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: conservative98

“when killers and sex offenders are out walking the streets”

Hey now, leave the Clintons out of this.


66 posted on 02/18/2020 11:17:52 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: nickcarraway
From Wikipedia:
In an interview with Esquire in January 2010, Blagojevich said about President Obama, "Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little laundromat in a black community not far from where he lived. I saw it all growing up." He soon backpedaled from the term "blacker than", saying that he chose his words poorly, but he stood by his message that "the frustration is real, and the frustration is still, today, average, ordinary people aren't getting a fair shake."
As governor Blagojevich had the power to appoint someone to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Hussein O. My recollection is that BHO had someone in mind for that seat who was not the guy Blagojevich selected; and then Chicago politics took over.

ML/NJ

67 posted on 02/18/2020 11:19:45 AM PST by ml/nj
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To: Leep

Blago could have spilled the beans that the SEIU guy he was negotiating with was acting on behalf of Obama, but he didn’t. Everyone suspected it, but they couldn’t prove it from the tapes and Blago kept his mouth shut.


68 posted on 02/18/2020 11:19:56 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: KavMan

Also former Rep. Steve Stockman , R-TX, was jailed unjustly and given a 10-year sentence for campaign finance violations.


69 posted on 02/18/2020 11:20:10 AM PST by Theodore R.
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To: nickcarraway

Yeah, Blago was just a moron. I mean, everyone in Illinois is corrupt, but only Blago was stupid enough to openly talk about pay for play on his phone, in his office, etc, while he knew he was under an active federal corruption investigation.


70 posted on 02/18/2020 11:23:32 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: DoodleDawg

How Comey was involved...

From 2018:

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

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


71 posted on 02/18/2020 11:27:33 AM PST by conservative98
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To: DesertRhino

They would if I had anything to say about it


72 posted on 02/18/2020 11:28:33 AM PST by nuconvert ( Warning: Accused of being a radical militarist. Approach with caution.)
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To: DoodleDawg

I don’t really know but Trump said it on a Fox report.


73 posted on 02/18/2020 11:39:00 AM PST by pnut22
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To: Impy

I agree.


74 posted on 02/18/2020 11:44:42 AM PST by Stingray51
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To: Brown Deer

Blag is pond scum & not worthy of this.


75 posted on 02/18/2020 11:46:48 AM PST by Trumpisourlastchance
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To: nickcarraway
14 years for trying to sell a Senate seat, and extortion of some funds, the racetrack and children's hospital, but he was acquitted on extorting the tollway and the Rahm Emanuel extortion charges...

that may be "proper" in your opinion, but a President commuting and lowering a potential prison sentence does not mean that he believes it was too harsh. Commutations and pardons can happen for any reason, or no reason at all. It is fully at his discretion. How you personally choose to interpret the meaning and motive for it is up to you. That doesn't make it so.

76 posted on 02/18/2020 11:48:26 AM PST by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: Brown Deer

Rush said earlier today that Trump was also pardoning Eddie deBartolo, owner of the 49ers.


77 posted on 02/18/2020 11:49:12 AM PST by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: Impy

I initially agreed with this. But after seeing you’re for it, I’m against it.

#ostracized


78 posted on 02/18/2020 11:49:19 AM PST by GOPsterinMA (I'm with Steve McQueen: I live my life for myself and answer to nobody.)
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To: DesertRhino
So far we’ve pardoned a corrupt businessman from 20 years ago, and a corrupt Democrat Chicago politician. What about some Pardons and commutations for Flynn and Stone

Who says he is done? Pardoning Kerik was certainly a good step in that direction. Kerik was getting attacked for not being in lock-step with the Dems as well.

However, it would be tougher in an election run-up to start pardoning the big names. Maybe they're on the list for December, no matter the election results.

79 posted on 02/18/2020 11:52:14 AM PST by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: conservative98
How Comey was involved...

So is Trump going to commute the sentences of everyone Pat Fitzpatrick convicted? And those convicted by any other U.S. attorney that Comey and Mueller knew?

80 posted on 02/18/2020 11:53:00 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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