Rod Blagojevich
Edited by The Inner Circle LedgerLedger updated Sep 30, 2026
- Status
- Pardon granted
- Clemency
- Pardon · Feb 10, 2025
- People
- Donald Trump
- The case
- Wire fraud and attempted extortion as Illinois governor, including the attempted sale of a Senate seat.
THE LINK TO TRUMP’S ORBIT
Sentence already commuted by Trump in 2020. A former Celebrity Apprentice contestant; no payment is documented.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
Full pardon five years after the commutation; criticized by Senator Dick Durbin and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
RESPONSE
Blagojevich has praised Trump and described his own prosecution as political.
Correction. An earlier version described the conviction as wire fraud and extortion. It was wire fraud and attempted extortion. Corrected September 18, 2026. Note added September 23, 2026.
SOURCES
A connection recorded here is not proof that it bought the outcome. Where a response exists, it is part of the record. How entries are labeled · Submit a correction or response · Download the ledger
