DEMS/PARDONS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump said Wednesday [8-7-19] he was considering commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, saying seven years was enough time in prison…Blagojevich, a Democrat, was impeached then removed from office in 2009 for corruption and was later indicted on multiple corruption charges. He was accused of trying to solicit personal favors and sell the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama winning the presidency. During the case, a tapped phone conversation revealed Blagojevich saying: ‘I’ve got this thing, and it’s fucking golden. I’m just not giving it up for fucking nothing.’ Trump dismissed the governor’s comments from his phone call as ‘braggadocio’ and insufficient for a conviction…Blagojevich — who was once a contestant on Trump’s TV show ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ — was sentenced to 14 years in prison, though his family has unsuccessfully tried to appeal the decision multiple times. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal last year.”
–Matthew Choi, “Trump says he’s considering commuting Blagojevich sentence,” Politico, August 7, 2019 11:45 pm