Trump Weighs Pardon, Possible Ambassadorship For Governor Convicted In Corruption Scandal

President Trump is expected to pardon disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, potentially offering him the U.S. Ambassadorship to Serbia, according to reports.

According to the New York Post, Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence on federal corruption charges in February 2020, though he did not grant him a full pardon at that time.

The former Illinois governor, 68, was convicted in 2011 on 18 counts, including attempting to exchange then-President Barack Obama’s Senate seat for campaign contributions and forcing a children’s hospital CEO to pay $25,000 under threat of withholding pediatric funding approvals.

Blagojevich was recorded saying about his sale of Obama’s senate seat, “I’ve got this thing and it’s f***ing golden … I’m just not giving it up for … nothing.”

Blagojevich denies the bribery to this day, writing in a Daily Wire op-ed last year, “It was all political talk, initiated by an emissary sent to me by then-President-elect Barack Obama. None of us broke any laws. It was politics, nothing more than political horse-trading.”

During his trial, Blagojevich insisted his remarks about filling the Senate seat were simply references to a “unique opportunity” to negotiate political support.

Court proceedings, however, introduced wiretap evidence in which he allegedly suggested an offer of $500,000, while prosecutors maintained he aimed for as much as $1.5 million in return for the appointment.

The former governor described himself in the op-ed as a target of “Bush-appointed Republican prosecutors,” contending that then-Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was determined to claim a second successive Illinois governor’s conviction.

Blagojevich also drew parallels to Trump’s recent legal fights, claiming the government obtained “convictions for things that weren’t crimes” in the Manhattan case where Trump faced 34 felony charges related to hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former governor argued those proceedings mirrored aspects of his own experience.

Following his initial commutation, Blagojevich credited his wife Patti’s determined lobbying efforts on his behalf. Trump, for his part, had publicly criticized the severity of the original penalty, calling the sentence “ridiculous” and suggesting it was disproportionate to the offenses of which Blagojevich was convicted.

According to the Daily Mail, Blagojevich’s Serbian heritage has put him “in a strong position” for a possible ambassadorship to the country, as he was seen meeting with the Serbian president last week.

Given his history, some are skeptical that he will be confirmed by the Senate if he is nominated.