[guest post by Dana]
Per Maggie Haberman, that’s the word on AF1:
TRUMP confirms to pool on AF1 what two sources have said has been discussed for days – that he’s likely to commute Rod Blagojevich’s sentence.
“I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly; he was given close to 18 years in prison. And a lot of people thought it was unfair, like a lot of other things — and it was the same gang, the Comey gang and all these sleazebags that did it. And his name is Rod Blagojevich.”
Per administration officials, BLAGO – another person with an Apprentice connection – has been pushed for a pardon by Trump’s son-in-law, Kushner. Aides got Trump to agree to a commutation instead.
Blagojevich was impeached, convicted, and removed from office in 2009. Here is a quick refresher on Blago’s fall:
December 9, 2008 – Is taken into federal custody on corruption charges. He is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, are accused of “conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits” by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a US senator to replace US President-elect Barack Obama.
December 30, 2008 – Blagojevich appoints former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by Obama.
January 9, 2009 – Illinois House of Representatives votes to impeach Blagojevich. The vote is 114-1.
January 26, 2009 – Impeachment hearings begin in the Illinois Senate. Balgojevich does not attend, choosing instead to appear on “Larry King Live,” “The View,” and “Good Morning America.”
January 29, 2009 – The Illinois Senate votes unanimously to remove Blagojevich and to bar him from holding political office in Illinois again.
April 2, 2009 – He is indicted on 16 felony counts by a federal grand jury.
April 14, 2009 – Blagojevich pleads not guilty.
2010 – Appears as a contestant on four episodes of the “Celebrity Apprentice” reality TV show.
June 3, 2010 – Blagojevich’s trial on corruption charges begins.
August 17, 2010 – The jury in Blagojevich’s trial returns its verdict after deliberating for 14 days. He is found guilty of making false statements to federal investigators. The jury is unable to come to a decision on 23 other counts.
February 24, 2011 – A federal judge drops three of 23 corruption charges against Blagojevich.
May 2, 2011 – Blagojevich’s retrial begins.
June 27, 2011 – The jury comes back with 17 guilty verdicts, one not guilty and two counts deadlocked.
July 25, 2011 – Blagojevich files a 158-page motion requesting an acquittal or a new trial, citing fundamentally unfair proceedings.
December 7, 2011 – Sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
And then there’s this surreal clip of Trump firing Blago from The Apprentice because he screwed up on a Harry Potter project:
Thinking about the time Donald Trump scolded Rod Blagojevich on the Celebrity Apprentice over inaccurate Harry Potter facts and inadequate Harry Potter research pic.twitter.com/rx7PH7qP4I
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) August 8, 2019
–Dana