Illinois lawmakers react to Trump commuting Blagojevich

Posted on February 18, 2020
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – Illinois lawmakers are reacting to President Trump’s commutation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Illinois Republican Congress members Darin LaHood, John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis, and Mike Bost released the following statement:

“We are disappointed by the President’s commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s federal sentence. We believe he received an appropriate and fair sentence, which was the low-end of the federal sentencing guidelines for the gravity of his public corruption convictions. Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois, and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters. As our state continues to grapple with political corruption, we shouldn’t let those who breached the public trust off the hook. History will not judge Rod Blagojevich well.”

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following:

“Former Governor Blagojevich betrayed the people of Illinois and engaged in a pattern of corrupt behavior for which he was held accountable and which cost him more than seven years of freedom. At a time when corruption by elected officials is still in the headlines, Illinois and Washington should move quickly to establish stricter ethics requirements, including the full detailed disclosure of income, net worth, and income tax returns by all elected officials.”

Illinois House GOP leader Jim Durkin spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon in Springfield.

“There’s more deserving people in the Federal Bureau of Prisons who could use relief from this President other than Rod Blagojevich,” Durkin said.

Gov. JB Pritzker took to Twitter and disagreed with the President’s decision.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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