Rod Blagojevich
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) led every Republican member from Illinois serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in urging President Donald Trump against possibly pardoning former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached, convicted and removed from office in 2009 to begin serving a 14-year prison sentence for corruption in 2012.
“We ask that you give thoughtful attention to our fear that granting clemency for the former governor would set a detrimental precedent and send a damaging message on your efforts to root out public corruption in our government,” wrote Rep. LaHood in a June 11 letter sent to the president that included support from U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, Peter Roskam, John Shimkus and Mike Bost.
“The evidence against Rod Blagojevich was gathered through the diligent efforts of law enforcement professionals in the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the lawmakers wrote. “To now excuse him would be demoralizing to those committed agents and officials who work hard every day in Illinois to fight public corruption and defend the rule of law.”
The House members detailed Blagojevich’s numerous public corruption crimes and illegal activity – including lying to federal agents, wire fraud, extortion and bribery – which culminated in 18 counts of public corruption, according to their four-page letter.
“We believe that it is important to outline why facts from the case of former Gov. Blagojevich show a much larger problem and underlying pattern of public corruption,” the lawmakers wrote. “During his tenure in the governor’s office, Rod Blagojevich participated in several pay-to-play practices in which he attempted to solicit money in exchange for official public acts.”
For example, they wrote, Blagojevich withheld $8 million to $10 million in reimbursement funds from Children’s Memorial Hospital until administrators agreed to contribute more than $50,000 to his campaign.
Rep. Kinzinger said in a separate June 11 statement that it “would be an incredibly damaging mistake to pardon Rod Blagojevich. He is the swamp of Springfield and needs to be held accountable for the crimes he committed.”
Blagojevich’s actions were illegal, undermined Illinois voters, and “slapped our democracy in the face,” Rep. Kinzinger said, adding that it’s time to take control of the public corruption that “runs rampant in Springfield.”
Rep. Davis, in his own statement released the same day, pointed out that the ex-governor didn’t commit victimless crimes. “Many people in Springfield were terrorized by him, fired from their jobs, and financially destroyed by his actions,” the congressman said. “Rod Blagojevich does not deserve to be pardoned or have his sentence commuted. Someone as undeserving as this should not take away from the importance of sentencing reform.”
“Commuting the sentence of a corrupt politician, particularly from Illinois, sends a dangerous message that this type of behavior is acceptable. It is not acceptable,” said Rep. Roskam on June 11, adding that he thinks public servants are rightfully held to a higher standard.
“In Illinois, many of our elected officials have failed to do so in the past, and few – like former Governor Rod Blagojevich – have been held accountable for their actions,” he said.
The lawmakers carried that theme into their letter to Trump, writing that “the integrity of our democracy and the core of American values depends on our elected officials being honest in upholding the trust given to them by the American people.”
“Granting clemency to Rod Blagojevich would go against this trust and show to others considering acts that are unethical or criminal that there will be no real punishment for acts of public corruption,” they concluded.