Blagojevich compares his case to Trump's in FOX 32 interview, says 'corrupt' prosecutors should be in jail
Blagojevich compares his case to Trump's, says 'corrupt' prosecutors should be in jail
Five years after his release from prison, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich still isn’t letting go of his conviction—and he now wants retribution.
CHICAGO - Five years after his release from prison, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich still isn’t letting go of his conviction—and he now wants retribution.
In an exclusive interview airing Friday night on FOX 32, he called his prosecution a "corrupt" effort and argued he was unfairly targeted.
What we know:
Blagojevich, who served eight years of a 14-year sentence for corruption, said he still has nightmares about his time in federal prison, where he was housed with convicted murderers, sex offenders, and drug dealers.
"The recurring dream, one of the themes of the dreams is, I’m still there," he said. "What am I still doing there? I’m supposed to be home. And then I wake up and I’m home."
Despite moments of reflection, Blagojevich quickly returned to defending himself, claiming he was framed by federal prosecutors.
"The whole thing was a corrupt prosecution by corrupt prosecutors who should be in jail," he said.
On charges that he attempted to sell Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat for personal gain, Blagojevich insisted he was merely asking legal questions.
"You mean to tell me in a free country, you can’t talk on private conversations and throw out all kinds of ideas? You don’t have a right to throw out stupid ideas?" he said. "They criminalized it—those sons of b******!"
Blagojevich also denied allegations that he attempted to shake down the former CEO of Children’s Memorial Hospital by threatening to pull $8 million in state funding if he didn’t donate to Blagojevich’s campaign.
"What (Patrick Magoon) asked for, he got. The request for fundraising, my brother never got. Never a threat, never a promise—perfectly legal, not a shakedown," he said, adding that he "oughta sue those sons of b****** for slander."
What's next:
Blagojevich remains defiant, taking aim at former U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald, who led the case against him. However, he hesitated to compare his case to those of other indicted Illinois politicians, including Mike Madigan and Ed Burke.
"The cases of Madigan and Burke and the others you mention are very different from mine," he said. "And I can’t judge the specifics … I can only tell you about my case … and I know what they did to me, and I do know they did the same thing to Trump."
Blagojevich maintains he was Illinois’ best governor—despite leaving office with a 13% approval rating. He is currently in the final stages of writing a book about his experience.