* Sunday afternoon…
* Phil Rogers…
Blagojevich is roughly halfway through a 14-year corruption sentence at the federal prison in suburban Denver. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump dispatched a tweet that seemed to equate his case with Blagojevich’s own legal troubles.
But whether that means a Christmas commutation is in the works, isn’t clear.
The latest drama began Friday night, when Patti Blagojevich made an appearance on Fox News Channel, equating her husband’s case to special counsel Robert Mueller’s most recent probes into fundraising for the Trump inaugural.
* Some of what she said…
“They were successful at going after my husband and locking him up and throwing away the key. And because no one stopped them for doing that to my husband, they are going after a bigger target. They’ve been emboldened because they got away with it with my husband. They undid an election, going after someone they didn’t like for some reason and used every means within power to do it.
“Once they set their sights on you, they will keep on until they have you sitting in jail for 14 years. They keep putting pressure on people who are close to you, your friends and other associates, people who have committed wrongdoing unrelated to you and put pressure on them.”
* Pearson…
As she has in previous appearances on Fox News, the former first lady once again sought to portray that portions of her husband’s conviction on charges of attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Obama’s 2008 election to the presidency had been thrown out.
In reality, her husband was still convicted of wire fraud involving discussions to personally profit from selling the Senate appointment. The charges that were dropped were due to a technicality involving jury instructions.
The former first lady, seeking to appeal to Trump during a holiday time when pardons and commutations are often granted, used her Friday Fox News interview to call her husband’s prosecutors the “same political assassins” who are doing the same thing “to President Trump right now.”
Federal prosecutors, she said, “are trying taking legal fundraising contributions and legal requests for fundraising and turning them into something that is a, you know, they’re crimes and they’re nonexisting crimes,” she said on Fox News.
But neither the former first lady, nor Fox News, mentioned her husband’s convictions for attempting to shake down an executive of a children’s hospital and a racetrack owner for campaign cash in exchange for official acts.
* To the headline: Dahleen Glanton…
Bingo! Two days later, the president calls you “wonderful” in a tweet.
“Required television watching is last weeks @marthamaccallum interview with the wonderful wife of Rod Blagojevich … If that doesn’t tell you something about what has been going on in our Country, nothing will. Very sad!”
The only problem is that he doesn’t mention the word clemency. Then you realize your performance as the compassionate, Trump-supporting Patti Blagojevich must have been too good. The president actually thought you were genuinely concerned about him.
- Generic Drone - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:32 am:
Birds of a feather flock together.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:34 am:
Patti might want to pick up the pace on her Fox News appearances. Looks like the walls are closing in on our President. Reminds me of the final days of the Governor’s tenure.
- Griffin - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:35 am:
What a callous piece by Glanton. I’m sure spending another Christmas with your children’s father in prison does, in fact, feel unbearable.
I wonder if she would use the same tone to describe the many others who believe they are serving unjust sentences.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:40 am:
Yeah, Trump Republicans. Tie yourself to Blagojevich. That is going to work out great for you, I promise.
- Perrid - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:41 am:
@Griffin, calling out someone for their blatant toadyism and manipulation might ruffle feathers, but it’s not a bad lens to look at this through. For the record I don’t even think she believes her story, but even if she has convinced herself her lies and revision of history deserve more than a little mockery.
- Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:46 am:
Since Patti and Donald are on the subject of unfair sentences, I wonder if either will rally to support the plight of many African Americans, who receive 20% longer sentences then whites; plus, while whites and blacks use drugs roughly in the same percentages, blacks get imprisoned 6 times more than whites.
I’ll wait patiently for Donald’s next tweet and Patti’s next fervent Fox News interview on that subject.
- Nearly Normal - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 10:54 am:
Patti’s real estate business received funds from Tony Rezko for very little if any work for him. One $40,00 payment was for a property sale that she had no part in.
She had to know she was receiving kick backs to allow her to afford her nice clothes and designer bags.
In one tape she is railing in the background about the Cubs and their then owners the Chicago Tribune.
“Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive),” she said. “(Expletive) them. (Expletive) them. Why should you do anything for those (expletives)?”
Nice talk, Patti.
- Griffin - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:05 am:
==I’ll wait patiently for Donald’s next tweet and Patti’s next fervent Fox News interview on that subject.==
A major criminal justice reform bill (First Step Act) is up for a vote in Senate this week, with Trump’s support.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-improbable-success-of-a-criminal-justice-reform-bill-under-trump
I won’t waste time addressing your other gratuitous shot at what Patti’s supposed responsibilities are with respect to AA inmates.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:15 am:
~A major criminal justice reform bill (First Step Act) is up for a vote in Senate this week, with Trump’s support.~
And Nixon signed the act that created the EPA.
- DuPage - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:17 am:
I thought the judge was biased to start with, and the government was hiding exculpatory evidence on the tapes. Even the guilty deserve a fair trial.
- Griffin - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:21 am:
==calling out someone for their blatant toadyism and manipulation might ruffle feathers, but it’s not a bad lens to look at this through.==
Blanton can make her point that PB was rather overtly signaling to Trump in hopes of some action by him. Who wouldn’t do this, by the way, if you thought it had a chance of getting a loved one out of prison.
One can also believe the sentence is just and deserved here without continuing to seemingly take glee in what is a very sad family situation.
- Jocko - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:21 am:
==I’m sure spending another Christmas with your children’s father in prison does, in fact, feel unbearable.==
Rod can express contrition or name names (to prosecutors) any time he wants. No one is stopping him.
- njt - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:27 am:
==I’m sure spending another Christmas with your children’s father in prison does, in fact, feel unbearable.==
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20081209/NEWS04/200032145/children-s-memorial-target-of-guv-s-shakedown-efforts-charges-say
And I’m sure Christmas with your children in a hospital must have been unbearable knowing that Rod was willing to extort campaign donations for their financing.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:29 am:
@DuPage - That’s what we have appellate courts for. You might want to read their views on the subject.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:56 am:
Patty doesn’t realize everything is all about Trump. He got the praise he wanted, that’s all that matters.
- Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:57 am:
Rod deserves clemency about as much as Elvis deserved his black belt.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:04 pm:
=One can also believe the sentence is just and deserved here without continuing to seemingly take glee in what is a very sad family situation.=
Tell that to the families with kids in the children’s hospital he tried to shake down.
Patti was waist deep in Rod’s shenanigans and deserves no empathy.
- Retired Educator - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:31 pm:
I still believe the sentence was excessive. He has served 7 years of a 14 year sentence. There are those who have committed much worse crimes, doing a lot less time. However I am remembering the case from a distance. I assume the Judge looked at all the evidence, and handed down what was thought to be a just sentence. So I like a lot of other posters am a little confused at this point. Blago according to reports, has been a model prisoner. Perhaps it is time for a new start.
- Jocko - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:42 pm:
==He has served 7 years of a 14 year sentence==
Federal guidelines require you serve 85% of your sentence. Had Rod shown any remorse or provided the feds with something useful, I suspect he would’ve received less time.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:44 pm:
If Trump lets the hated Blagojevich out of jail, the one who’s the epitome of Democratic corruption and who’s on the tapes with Pritzker, how will Republicans spin that one? It should be an Olympic performance, a 10.
- Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:45 pm:
Griffin. My comment wasn’t gratuitous. Patti is arguing that investigations and long sentences are unfair. I’m pointing out that it’s a larger problem than only her husband and the man who can commute or pardon her husband. My “shot” was to point out that she and her husband are still so self-absorbed that they don’t realize that this is a larger societal problem.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:51 pm:
==deserves no empathy==
His children do. I’m not arguing for his release but his children have certainly suffered through no fault of their own.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 1:39 pm:
Every time a post about Rod appears, a few responses come in about his sentence being excessive. You know how you avoid a longer sentence? You admit you did something wrong. People do it in plea deals all the time. But if you make the government do all of the work required to get a conviction in court and then continue to deny wrong-doing, you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 1:58 pm:
“Rod deserves clemency about as much as Elvis deserved his black belt.”
Blago’s tapes are much more damning than the films of Elvis’ karate: https://youtu.be/Q-_Mxqb6hHo
– MrJM
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 2:17 pm:
===His children do. I’m not arguing for his release but his children have certainly suffered through no fault of their own.===
Absolutely agree. The bearers of blame are solely Rod and Patti Blagojevich.
- I Miss Bentohs - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
== One can also believe the sentence is just and deserved here without continuing to seemingly take glee in what is a very sad family situation ==
I take glee in justice.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 5:41 pm:
Count me among the people who think the sentence is excessive. There are literal mafia hitters with shorter sentences. I don’t think Rod’s sentence has deterred anyone from political corruption, either.
- Annon3 - Wednesday, Dec 19, 18 @ 7:44 am:
They won’t go away as long as he is in prison and he has served plenty of time I hope POTUS cuts him ……