Trump expected to pardon former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich
President Donald Trump is expected to pardon former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Fox News has learned.
Blagojevich, a former "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant, served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election.
Trump commuted his 14-year sentence in 2020.
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Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 and was sentenced to 14 years before Trump cut his prison term short. Blagojevich appeared on "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2010, before his first corruption trial started, drawing praise from Trump at the time when he "fired" him as a contestant.
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Later as president, Trump drew links between investigations of his own behavior in his first term and Blagojevich's case.
Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich, represented former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in 2017.
Comey was working in the private sector during the Blagojevich investigation and indictment.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who oversaw the investigation into the Russian collusion hoax, was FBI director during the investigation into Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out five of the convictions, including ones in which he offered to appoint someone to a high-paying job in the Senate.
Axios first reported the news of the expected pardon on Monday afternoon.
Fox News' Pat Ward and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.Original article source: Trump expected to pardon former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich
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