President Donald Trump Tuesday, commuted the sentence of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was found guilty on federal corruption charges and removed from office in 2009.
Blagojevich since has served eight years of a 14-year sentence in federal prison, and was set to be released Tuesday. State representative Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) released the following statement in response:
“I strongly disagree with president Trump’s commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s sentence. With the widespread corruption we are currently dealing with in our State, this sends absolutely the wrong message to our residents. Self-serving politicians have no place in our government or the State of Illinois.
Blagojevich’s conviction and sentence were fitting for a corrupt politician, and I am disappointed to see this justice undercut. I have voiced my support for tougher ethics laws for some time now, and as we continue to wait for Democrats to get on board with stronger ethics legislation, I will continue (to be an) advocate for greater reform in government and for the people of Illinois.”
— Office of State representative Mark Batinick