Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has come out as a strong supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump’s potential comeback for the White House. Blagojevich, who was convicted on multiple counts of corruption and served 8 years in prison before being commuted by Trump in February 2020, described himself as a “Trump-o-crat” during an interview with 770 WABC’s “The Cats Roundtable.
Blagojevich, who is now a convicted felon, claimed that the new Republican Party aligns with his beliefs and stands up for the average working person in America. In return, he said he personally owes Trump a debt of gratitude for commuting his 14-year sentence for political corruption. Although Obama refused to commute his sentence, Trump, who had worked with Blagojevich on his “Apprentice Show” before running for president, intervened and set him free.
Looking back at his legal troubles, Blagojevich said he was the first governor in the US to endorse Obama when both were just starting out in politics in Chicago in the mid-1990s. He claimed that there was nothing criminal about their relationship or the political deals they discussed, but while Obama went on to become president, Blagojevich ended up in prison.
Blagojevich argued that his experience shows how prosecutors have weaponized legal tactics and criminalized actions that are routine in politics. He urged Americans to vote in the upcoming election to stop this weaponization of prosecutions, which he said is destroying the rule of law and the constitution. He also claimed that Obama is working behind the scenes to try and force Vice President Joe Biden out of the race for re-election, fearing Trump would beat him.
Blagojevich’s support for Trump may come as a surprise, given their political differences, but he believes that Trump’s actions in commuting his sentence demonstrate the importance of standing up for the rights of individuals regardless of their party affiliation.
