CHICAGO (AP) - The Republicans in Illinois’ congressional delegation are asking President Trump not to grant former Gov. Rod Blagojevich clemency.
Trump has said he is considering commuting the Democrat’s sentence for corruption. Blagojevich has served about six-and-a-half years of his 14-year sentence.
Blagojevich, his wife Patti, has embarked on a public relations effort to get his sentence commuted. Patti Blagojevich has said she and the couple’s two children have long awaited the day “when Rod could come back home where he belongs.”
However, in a letter to Trump the Republican congressmen said commuting Blagojevich’s sentence would “send a damaging message on your efforts to root out public corruption in our government.”
Blagojevich argued he engaged in run-of-the-mill politicking and never crossed legal lines. But prosecutors say he used his powers as governor to shake people down for campaign contributions, including a children’s hospital.
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