Blagojevich asks for presidential commutation

[Eugene]

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is seeking a presidential commutation, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice.

The longshot request comes more than four months after U.S. District Judge James Zagel reinstated the 14-year prison sentence Blagojevich, 60, is serving for a series of schemes that included his attempt to sell then-President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat.

The news of Blagojevich’s commutation request also comes days after Blagojevich’s lawyer, Leonard Goodman, filed a brief with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking for yet another sentencing hearing.

The 7th Circuit in July 2015 tossed five of Blagojevich’s 18 convictions, but it found “it is not possible to call 168 months unlawfully high for Blagojevich’s crimes.”

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Read more: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/blagojevich-asks-for-presidential-commutation/

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CHICAGO 12/23/2016, 04:39pm
Jon Seidel

[milestogo]

1. Oh, that's good.

[Chasstev365]

2. Ain't gonna happen Rod

But dam it, Don Seigelmann should be pardoned and released NOW!

[hughee99]

6. Yeah, if Siegelmann doesn't get one, Rod has no chance. n/t

[madville]

17. If nothing else

he does get out in 8 months regardless.

[CentralMass]

3. My two cents, he should be pardoned. What he did pales in comparison to some of the abuses of power

that have occurred in government in recent years that have gone unpunished. He has paid a big enough price.

[jaysunb]

4. +1 n/t

[cstanleytech]

5. Granted the schemes the varies Republicans have committed do pale but I

dont think the right answer is to imitate them.

[Raine]

9. Totally agree nt

[hibbing]

7. Well that's some chutzpa (sp)

Although his hair should get a pardon.


Peace

[Brother Buzz]

8. I'm a little sketchy here, just who's Senate seat did Blagojevich try and sell?

[GP6971]

13. Obama's. n/t

[Brother Buzz]

15. Why doesn't he wait for Trump to give him a commutation

After all they are buddies:

[Lil Missy]

10. If only there was a way to double his sentence. n/t

[milestogo]

11. Blago should be further punished by having to share a cell with Mitch McConnell.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. No.

They need him in prison to help orient future Illinois governors who are sent to prison.

[mantis49]

14. If I could rec this response, I would...

[Dr. Strange]

20. See this--this right here is why we need to be able to rec responses!

[FairWinds]

16. A good part of the Blago case was . .

"Trumped" up - (Hey wait, will that now be a thing?)

Like when he bypassed normal channels to get
vaccine for kids.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/25/us/illinois-governor-seeks-vaccine-abroad.html?_r=0

[JI7]

18. according to his wife they went after blago because he was helping the children

[former9thward]

19. Obama should do it but won't because of both their ties to the Chicago Democratic organization.

An appeals court threw out many of his convictions and he did not do anything others in Chicago have not done for years. Judge Zagel is very vindictive towards Blagojevich and the sentence was very harsh.

[Ken Burch]

21. I can picture Drumpf saying this:

"OK, here's the deal...you do a Sinatra medley at my inaugural gala, I'll think about that commutation thing".