Sun-Times vs. Tribune

The two major Chicago newspapers are on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to whether President Trump should commute the sentence of Rod Blagojevich, convicted on multiple charges of corruption.

Sun-Times

Whatever Trump’s motivations are, commuting Blagojevich’s sentence would be no travesty of justice at this point. We have long argued that the 14-year sentence he began serving in 2012 is too severe and that it should have been in line with the 6½-year sentence imposed on former Gov. George Ryan. A commutation now would achieve that.

Although he was not convicted of personally enriching himself, Blagojevich tried to sell a vacant Senate seat and extort big campaign donations from a hospital and racetrack owner. Trump, as usual, was paltering with the facts when he said Blagojevich was convicted for “being stupid, saying things that every other politician, you know, that many other politicians say.” Yet, as we have said, Blagojevich was more of a fumbling goof than a master criminal.

The power of the presidential pardon should be used to correct flaws in the criminal justice system. Trump is using it as a weapon against what he cynically portrays as a “deep state” conspiracy against him, and unfair justice department treatment of him and his allies.

If Trump goes ahead with his plans, it actually would be a fair shake for Blagojevich, whose lawyer, Leonard Goodman, is an investor in our newspaper.

Tribune

The president certainly is vulnerable to the last thing he saw or read, be it the lobbying of Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, on Fox News, or the prisoner’s nonsensical Wall Street Journal op-ed claiming he was prosecuted for aggressive campaign fundraising, a claim Trump seems to accept. “Plenty of other politicians have said a lot worse,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “And it doesn’t, he shouldn’t have been put in jail.” Come to think of it, maybe Trump, more than a year into the Robert Mueller investigation, feels sorry for a fellow blowhard.

But in Illinois, where law-abiding citizens have seen four of their last 10 governors frog-marched to federal prison, the next crooked pols surely are thrilled to hear Trump bloviate. They’d love to go back to the long era of gentlemen’s sentences for the unfortunates who get caught wallowing in the Illinois culture of political sleaze.

We’ve never found joy in watching Blagojevich’s family — the people he victimized most — plead for mercy. We have, though, concluded that the sentence he earned not only is fair. It’s fair warning to other criminal pols here in Illinois, the State of Corruption.

I don’t think that the Sun-Times makes a good case for second-guessing the jury in Blagojevich’s case. I might feel differently if the former governor had shown any signs of remorse but he’s still insisting that he did nothing wrong. As long as that’s the case, I think that the jury’s decision should stand.