Trump commutes ex-Illinois governor Blagojevich's sentence, pardons seven others
Rod Blagojevich
US President Donald Trump on Monday commutedthe sentence of Rod Blagojevich, the ex-Illinois governor andpardoned Michael Milken, once considered Wall Street’s "junk bond king," along with six others, and commuted the sentences of another three people.
Blagojevich wasconvicted of trying to peddle Barack Obama's vacated USSenate seat.
Blagojevich, a Democrat who appeared on Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" reality television show while awaiting trial, began serving a 14-year sentence in 2012 after being convicted of wire fraud, extortion and soliciting bribes while governor, reported news agency Reuters.
"That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence," said Trump, a real estate developer who produced and starred in the NBC show before clinching the Republican presidential nomination and winning election to succeed Obama in the White House in 2016.
"I'm profoundly grateful to President Trump. It's a profound and everlasting gratitude," Blagojevich told reporters. "He didn't have to do this, he's a Republican president."
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Blagojevich, 63, was removed from office in 2009 after prosecutors said he tried to sell or trade the USSenate seat Obama vacated after winning the 2008 presidential election.
The recipients of clemency had been convicted on charges ranging from defrauding the federal government to theft.
Trump's decision was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, although some Democrats supported the move.
(With inputs from Reuters)