President Donald Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on Monday night, five years after commuting his sentence on corruption charges.
The pardon, signed Monday, follows Blagojevich’s vocal support for Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign and his continued claims of being unfairly prosecuted.
The Republican president called the Democratic former governor, who once appeared on Trump’s reality TV show “Celebrity Apprentice,” “a very fine person.” Trump said the conviction and prison sentence “shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’ve watched him. He was set up by a lot of bad people, some of the same people I had to deal with,” Trump said at the White House as he signed the pardon.
Why It Matters
Blagojevich, a Democrat, served eight years in prison after being convicted on multiple corruption charges, including attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after the 2008 presidential election.
Trump, who previously called the prosecution unfair, commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence in 2020. Since then, Blagojevich has become a vocal Trump supporter, frequently defending him against legal troubles, including Trump’s New York hush money case, which he likened to his own conviction.
Blagojevich’s relationship with Trump dates back to 2010 when he appeared as a contestant on Trump’s reality show, Celebrity Apprentice. Though Trump ultimately fired him from the show, they remained in contact.
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks to the press outside of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago on August 2, 2021.
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
What To Know
Before his conviction, Blagojevich was a rising star in the Democratic Party and had even considered a presidential run. His dramatic downfall was sealed by FBI wiretaps allegedly capturing him trying to sell the vacant Senate seat.
“I’ve got this thing, and it’s [expletive] golden. I’m just not giving it up for nothing,” Blagojevich was recorded saying in 2008.
Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges in 2008, impeached and removed from office in 2009, and convicted in 2011 on 18 counts, including wire fraud and attempted extortion.
After Trump’s election, Blagojevich’s family lobbied for clemency, arguing his sentence was excessive compared to similar corruption cases. Trump ultimately intervened in 2020, cutting his sentence short.
Blagojevich actively supported Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign and attended the Republican National Convention as a guest.
The expected pardon, coming in Trump’s fourth week back in office, follows his sweeping clemency for more than 1,500 people charged in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to Politico, Trump is also considering nominating Blagojevich as U.S. ambassador to Serbia.
What People Are Saying
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, on X, formerly Twitter, in January: “Trump freed me & Obama sold me out, so I’m biased, but I believe Trump has done more as president in his whirlwind first 8 days than Obama did in his entire 8 years. What do you think?”
President Donald Trump, before commuting Blagojevich’s sentence: “He has been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happened. He shouldn’t have said what he said, but it was braggadocio, you would say.”
What Happens Next
After the pardon, it’s unclear how the Senate would respond to a Blagojevich nomination. His combative style could alienate Republican senators while gaining little to no support from Democrats. The move could also spark backlash from transparency advocates in Serbia.
Update: 2/10/25, 6:31 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with information about Trump’s pardon of Blagojevich.
