Leave Him in Prison

The editors of the Chicago Tribune explain why President Trump should leave Rod Blagojevich in prison:

President Donald Trump has got this thing and it’s golden. He has the power to commute the sentence of U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate 40892-424. Never mind that Rod Blagojevich tried to sell a U.S. Senate seat that belonged to the 12 million-plus people of Illinois. Never mind that honest people and companies got cheated out of government careers and state contracts because, under Blagojevich, the fix was in. Never mind that a commutation would reassure other crooked pols that if they fuss long enough and whine loud enough, they’ll win the Get Out of Jail Free card they think they deserve.

Blagojevich was corrupt when he took his oath of office and corrupt when he was arrested. He is proximally responsible for the fiscal disaster that Illinois has become, using teachers’ pensions to expand state services rather than raising taxes to do what he wanted, effectively buying votes. He has never acknowledged that he did wrong. He should remain in jail as long as the law allows.

9 comments… add one
  • PD Shaw Link

    I’m pretty ambivalent about whether Blago is released earlier or not, except for your point about him not acknowledging any wrongdoing. Ryan got six-and-a-half years, and there were deaths connected to the scheme.

  • That’s what Ryan was sentenced to. He served the entirety of his term despite various pleas that his sentence be commuted, clemency, etc.

  • Guarneri Link

    If Trump pardons him it goes into into Trumps negative column. Period, full stop.

    Assigning all of IL’s fiscal problems to Blagojevich is overwrought, but he’s in the hall of shame.

    I saw a NYT article on it. They didn’t ID him as a Dem. schocking.

  • Assigning all of IL’s fiscal problems to Blagojevich is overwrought, but he’s in the hall of shame.

    I didn’t say our fiscal problems were entirely due to him. I said he was proximally responsible which is true. For the entirety of his term teacher pay went up sharply while the state didn’t add to the teachers’ pension fund at all. When he was out of the governor’s chair that stopped. That was clearly his brainchild. He signed the budgets into law.

  • Guarneri Link

    How many angels…..

  • steve Link

    Who knew that appearing on Celebrity Apprentice was the same as a Get Out of Jail Free card?

    Steve

  • Gray Shambler Link

    Pardon? He’d better not.

  • PD Shaw Link

    I think when the Blago saga was reaching its climax, I opined in this comment section that I didn’t care if he went to jail, I just wanted him out, out, out of office. Significant jail time, which I think five years is plenty, was only lagniappe.

  • mike shupp Link

    Yes, but pardoning him
    (a) Demonstrates that Donald Trump believes in Justice For All, not simply his Republican colleagues. He even believes in full and complete justice for individuals in states which failed to vote for him.
    Americans of all sorts should be pleased, Democrats in particular.
    (b) If Democrats insist they aren’t pleased, it will show that they’ve deliberately chosen to ignore Donald Trump’s non-partisan behavior. Republicans and independent voters will know they have cause for distrusting Democrats.
    (c) Prosecutors across American and people under threat of legal action will be reminded of the President’s great power and even greater interest in securing Justice. Together we will Make America Great Again!

    So it’s just a win-win-win situation. Prepare to meet Blagojevich on the streets again shortly.

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