Back during Trump’s impeachment trial, the Republicans made the case that the President was a “corruption fighter.” That, they told us, was why he’d put the screws to the administration of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine, in hopes of getting his administration to announce an investigation into Joe Biden. Well, today, Donald Trump, the anti-corruption champion, commuted the sentences of several white, male convicted criminals, including former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was found guilty in 2010 on 11 counts related to the attempted sale of Barack Obama’s former Senate seat, and 6 counts of shaking people down for bribes.
The Feds had Blagojevich on tape saying of the Senate seat, which was his to fill as Governor once Obama was elected president, “I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden… I’m not just giving it up for fucking nothing.” And he was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. But, before the sentencing, he made what would turn out to be an incredibly fortuitous decision. He decided to appear as a contestant on Donald Trump’s “reality” television program, Celebrity Apprentice. And, today, Donald Trump chose to let Blagojevich go, over the advice of every House Republican from the Illinois delegation… Here’s Donald Trump, after saying that he didn’t really know Blagojevich, and chose to let him go because he ‘saw his wife on television,’ implying that his was a wrongful prosecution because James Comey was at the FBI at the time. [fact check: Comey was not at the FBI at the time. He was in the private sector from 2003 to 2013.]
Dipping his toe in the impeachment waters. https://t.co/DnVVFLsWbE
— Mark Maynard (@MarkAMaynard) February 18, 2020
There is a little silver lining, though. As Marcy Wheeler pointed out earlier, “The nice thing about Trump freeing every corrupt person ever mentioned on Fox News is now the GOP will have to stop pretending Trump gives a flying fuck about corruption.”
12 Comments
You left out that he claimed to be the “chief law enforcement officer in the US” which is a lie as usual, and given that its being uttered by the President, is clearly a violation of the Constitution and his oath. He’s a ruskie stooge traitor who deserves a firing squad and his supporters are garbage unAmericans who have no limits. Prepare to respond accordingly.
I’ve got to imagine there are a lot of his supporters in Illinois trying real hard to rationalize this decision.
Rod Blagojevich: “He’s [Pres. Trump] got a obviously a big fan in me. If you’re asking what my party affiliation is… I’m a Trumpocrat.”
https://twitter.com/HaleighHoffman/status/1229972053278777346?s=20
Washington Post: “Republicans have unleashed an ethical monster”
Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/19/republicans-unleashed-an-ethical-monster/
“Chief law enforcement officer in the US.”
Yeah, I saw that this morning, after the post was already up. He doesn’t have a clue as to how our country works, and he doesn’t care. It’s so unbelievably sad…. in addition to being dangerous.
I noticed that FF, EOS and HW haven’t commented on this thread. Gee, I wonder why.
It was a weird stand alone move imo, iRobert. I wonder if Trump is going to use Blagojevich as the head of a program that has the mission of releasing massive amounts of non-violent prisoners.
You don’t need to wonder. I promise you, he won’t.
Trump released corrupt officials and businessmen, like himself.
It’s kind of amusing that FF holds on to this idea of Trump as a reformer facing unjust persecution instead of a self-dealing, populist manipulator of the great desires and hopes of the people.
I believe he pardoned Blagojevic in order to bulk up his false corruption narrative against Comey et al. I believe he exchanged the pardon for Dem Blagojevic’s support in hopes it would help himself politically with Dems in the midwest. (And it seems to have worked because that Trumpocrat thing went viral.– no thanks to the many Dems who shared in horror) I don’t think Trump gives a shit about Blagojevic or what he did or didn’t do or has any larger plans than preserving his own reputation and getting re-elected..
https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos-home/flashback-watch-trump-fire-blagojevich-on-the-celebrity-apprentice/2221318/
Oh man, Michael Millican and ex-NY police chief Bernard Klerk too. That covers 5 decades of rampant corruption– On the part of those Trump pardoned.
Rudi wanted Klerk freed. Read this: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/nyregion/bernard-kerik-pardon.html?searchResultPosition=1
Trump is now shutting down the investigations into Putin’s interference in the US election. Maybe FF can tell us how it may be in preparation for some greater good.